What to Put in Your Mini Root Cellar

Estimated reading time: 13 minutes

Root cellars are one of the best ways to store food, whether you're a prepper or a homesteader. They keep a fairly steady temperature year-round, staying cool during the summer and above freezing during the winter. That keeps food fresh for months without using any electricity.

The problem is that not everyone has the space, time, or money to dig out a full-sized root cellar. If you live on a small lot, rent your home, or just don't want to take on a big construction project, a traditional root cellar might not be realistic.

That's where mini root cellars come in. A mini root cellar works on the same basic principle as a regular root cellar. It uses the earth around it to stay cool and humid. But instead of digging out a whole room, you just bury a container in your yard.

You can make a mini root cellar out of all sorts of things:

• A trash can. A galvanized metal or heavy-duty plastic trash can is one of the most popular options. Bury it so the lid sits a few inches above the ground, then cover the lid with straw or mulch and a tarp for insulation.
• A cooler. An old cooler is already insulated, which makes it a great choice. Just bury it in the ground and pile straw or leaves on top.
• A bucket. A 5-gallon bucket won't hold a ton of food, but it's perfect for small harvests and it only takes a few minutes to bury.
• An old chest freezer or refrigerator. If you have one that no longer works, it can make a roomy mini root cellar. Just be sure to remove the latch first so no one can get trapped inside.

Whichever container you choose, drill a few holes in the bottom so water can drain out, and add a layer of gravel underneath if your soil doesn't drain well. Then layer your produce with straw, sand, or peat moss to keep it from touching and to hold in moisture.

Mini root cellars are cheap, easy to build, and require no electricity, which makes them an excellent option for preppers and homesteaders alike. And since you can build several of them, it's easy to keep different types of produce separated.

Of course, a mini root cellar is only useful if you're storing the right foods in it. Below are 15 foods that do well in root cellars, big or small. Plant these foods in your survival garden, bury a mini root cellar to store them in, and you can enjoy the fruits of your harvest year-round.

Root cellars are one of the best ways to store food, whether you're a prepper or a homesteader. One of the reasons they're so great is that they're able to keep a pretty constant temperature year-round.

During the summer, well-insulated root cellars will stay cool even when it's really hot outside. And during the winter, they will stay above freezing even during a blizzard. By staying away from those temperature extremes, they're able to keep food fresh for months.

Since colonial times, farmers have used root cellars to preserve the crops they harvest. However, since root cellars are relatively simple to build and require no electricity, they are also an excellent option for modern-day disaster preparedness and homesteading.

While some foods are perfect for storing in root cellars, some foods aren't. Below are 15 foods that do well when in root cellars. Plant these foods in your survival garden, build a root cellar to store them in, and you can enjoy the fruits of your harvest year-round.

Apples

Compared to most fruit, apples store quite well, especially when kept in a root cellar. It’s best, however, to stick to tart varieties of apples as opposed to sweet varieties if you want them to keep for as long as possible.

Wrap each individual apple in newspaper and place them in a cardboard or wooden box inside your root cellar. When stored in this manner, apples will last two to seven months, depending on the specific variety of apple that you are storing.

Beets

Like other tubers, beets store well in a root cellar. Start by cutting the greens off of the beet about one inch above the tuber. However, be sure to leave the root at the bottom of the beet intact. Next, store the beets in a plastic container that is layered with moist sand or peat moss.

You’ll also want to make sure that there is sand or peat separating each individual beet, as the beets will spoil faster if they are touching one another.

Broccoli

Broccoli isn't known for lasting very long, but when stored correctly in a mini root cellar, you can get decent shelf life out of your broccoli plants. Trim your broccoli and store it either in mesh or perforated plastic.

You'll also want to keep broccoli away from apples and pears. These fruits give off ethylene gas, which can cause broccoli to turn yellow and spoil much faster. If possible, store them in separate mini root cellars.

Brussels Sprouts

Unlike many vegetables, brussels sprouts are best harvested after several frosts. In spite of the vegetable's ability to survive the cold, brussels sprouts still won't last very long after harvest if they aren't stored correctly.

The best way to store brussels sprouts in a mini root cellar is to remove them from the stalk and place them in a perforated plastic bag. This allows air to circulate while still keeping in enough moisture to stop the sprouts from drying out.

Carrots

Like other root vegetables, carrots store very well in root cellars. First, you’ll want to cut off the fronds (leafy tops) of your carrots as they will draw out nutrients from the carrot during storage and reduce its shelf life. Next, place the carrots in a box and cover them either in moistened sand or moistened peat.

Dried Beans

Dried beans have a long shelf life as it is, and when stored in a root cellar, that shelf life can be extended even further. Start by giving your beans time to mature on the plant until the beans are dry enough to rattle when shaken. Next, pull up the plant by the roots and store the entire plant in the shade for one to two weeks.

Shell the beans then freeze them for a few weeks to kill off any weevils that may be living in them. Lastly, place the beans in an airtight container and store them in your root cellar. When stored in this manner, dried beans can last several years.

Garlic

Unlike many vegetables, brussels sprouts are best harvested after several frosts. In spite of the vegetable's ability to survive the cold, brussels sprouts still won't last very long after harvest if they aren't stored correctly.

The best way to store brussels sprouts in a mini root cellar is to remove them from the stalk and place them in a perforated plastic bag. This allows air to circulate while still keeping in enough moisture to stop the sprouts from drying out.

Leafy Vegetables

Leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach, and cabbage all do well when stored in a mini root cellar. Cabbage is the best of the bunch for long-term storage. Remove any loose outer leaves, then wrap each head in newspaper before placing it in your mini root cellar. Kale and spinach won't last as long, so store them in perforated plastic bags and plan to use them first.

Check your leafy vegetables from time to time and remove any leaves that look like they are rotting in order to stave off spoilage for as long as possible. Cabbage also has a strong smell that can be absorbed by other foods, so it's best to give it its own container if you can.

Onions

Onions can last for a long time when stored in a mini root cellar. Start by curing them in a warm, dry spot for a couple of weeks until the outer skins are papery and the necks are completely dry. Then place the bulbs in a mesh bag or pantyhose, tying a knot between each onion so they don't touch, or nestle them in a layer of dry straw.

Keep in mind that onions prefer drier conditions than most root vegetables, so don't pack them in moist sand or peat. And keep them away from potatoes, as the two will cause each other to spoil faster.

Pears

Pears are sensitive to temperature but can be stored for two to three months when kept near freezing in a root cellar. To store pears in a root cellar, wrap each pear in newspaper then place them in a cardboard box that is lined with perforated plastic.

You’ll also want to be careful to only store pears that are unbruised and unblemished; otherwise, they may rot and spoil the whole box. Check your pears for rot from time to time, though keep in mind that if pears are exposed to temperatures above 80 degrees F, they may rot on the inside while looking unblemished on the outside.

Potatoes

Potatoes provide an excellent source of calories and carbohydrates. However, they can be difficult to store. In the wrong temperatures, potatoes will either rot, begin to sprout, or both.

They store best in an environment that hovers just above freezing, so depending on where you live, you may need to carefully time the harvest of your potatoes and then put them in the root cellar before it gets too cold outside. This method will ensure they last as long as possible.

It’s best to store potatoes in layers so you can check your potatoes for rot and remove potatoes that are rotting so they don't affect any of the potatoes around them. Since potatoes will sprout when exposed to light, it’s best to keep them completely in the dark, and you may also benefit from covering your potatoes with straw.

Pumpkins

When harvested before the first frost and stored properly, pumpkins can be stored without spoiling for five to six months. When harvesting your pumpkins for storage, though, it's important to leave the stems of the pumpkin intact as they will spoil much faster without them.

You'll also want to cure your pumpkins for 10 days at about 80 degrees F before storing them. Due to their size, most pumpkins won't fit in a trash can or bucket root cellar. If you want to store them in a mini root cellar, an old chest freezer is your best bet. Otherwise, smaller pie pumpkins and winter squash may fit in a larger trash can.

Rutabagas

Rutabagas are a hardy root vegetable that stores very well in root cellars. After harvest, cut off the leafy tops, leave about a half‑inch of stem, and store the roots in moist sand or peat at just above freezing with high humidity. Under the right conditions they can last 4‑6 months or longer.

Tomatoes

Ripe tomatoes do not have a long shelf life no matter how they are stored. However, if you harvest your tomatoes before they are ripe and allow them to ripen in storage, they can last several months under the right conditions.

For best results, pick the tomatoes while they are still green, then wrap each one in newspaper before placing it in your mini root cellar. Check on them every week or so, and pull out any that have started to ripen or show signs of rot.

Turnips

Turnips can be stored in your root cellar in the same manner as carrots – with the fronds removed and covered in moistened sand or peat, though with turnips it is especially important to keep them moist, so lightly wet the soil covering your turnips periodically.

Originally published on Homestead Survival Site.

You May Also Like:

• The Beginner's Guide To Emergency Food Storage
• 3 Winter Gardening Techniques and 6 Plants for Winter Gardening
• 10 DIY Root Cellar Ideas
• 10 Vegetables That Even New Gardeners Can't Mess Up
• Food Storage Tips from the Great Depression

The post What to Put in Your Mini Root Cellar appeared first on Urban Survival Site.

from Urban Survival Site

The Forgotten Healing Uses of Passover’s Bitter Herbs

We have spent generations trying to take the bitterness out of food. We sweeten grapefruit. We tame salad greens. We breed vegetables milder every decade. We pull dandelions out of the lawn and throw them in a bag. Older generations would have looked at those same plants very differently. One of the better reminders of […]

from Survivopedia

Fortress: The 90 Day Military Bases Plan

Fortress: The 90 Day Military Bases Plan. What is it? Friends, every so often a news story comes along that makes me stop what I’m doing in the kitchen and read it twice. This past week was one of those times. Our own military is now planning for the very thing we talk about here all the time: being able to take care of yourself when the outside world stops delivering. Let’s talk about what this plan is, why it’s happening, and which other countries are doing something similar.

What Is the Fortress Plan?

The plan is called FORTRESS, and the Pentagon announced it in September 2026. It requires military bases in the United States to be able to operate for at least 90 days without relying on civilian power, fuel, water, or supply lines. The name itself is an acronym. It stands for Federal Operations for Resilience, Troop Resources, Energy, Supply, and Survivability, and it was announced by Secretary Pete Hegseth on September 30, 2026, during his State of the Force address.

The details came out more fully this week. Under FORTRESS, every major military installation in the continental United States would be expected to keep essential operations running on its own for at least 90 days, including electricity, water, fuel and communications.

According to the Pentagon memo, FORTRESS focuses on five pillars: energy independence; supply chain and defense industrial base resilience; a strategic defense reserve; installation hardening and cyber resilience; and resilience in space and spectrum.

How Would Bases Actually Do This?

This is where it gets interesting for those of us who think about backup power at home. The plan envisions portable nuclear reactors, large-scale battery storage, and microgrids that can disconnect military installations from the civilian electrical grid, allowing bases to continue operating during prolonged power outages.

It isn’t just about electricity, either. FORTRESS calls for strategic reserves of munitions, fuel, critical minerals, electronics, spare parts and medical supplies that could sustain military operations if international supply routes are disrupted or domestic manufacturers can’t keep up with wartime demand. It also looks upward. The plan seeks to protect military communications, navigation and satellite systems against interference, including GPS jamming and disruptions to space-based assets.

Doesn’t that sound a lot like a family food storage plan on a much bigger scale? Water, fuel, medicine, a way to communicate, and a way to keep the lights on. The principles are the same.

Why Is This Happening Now?

The short answer is that our military depends on the same power grid and supply chains as the rest of us. A central concern FORTRESS is meant to address is the military’s reliance on the civilian power grid. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell put it plainly when he said: “Power is combat now.” He explained that without electricity, you lose communications, water, logistics, assembly lines and basic military command structures, and he described FORTRESS as an insurance policy to keep US forces operating if a major conflict disrupts the infrastructure and supply chains they depend on.

Secretary Hegseth

Secretary Hegseth framed it in terms of geography and changing threats. He said he created FORTRESS America because the country can no longer rely on two oceans to protect it, and that war and threats have evolved, so defenses must evolve too. He added that the goal is to make sure the country cannot be “starved out, shut down, or cut off.”

There is a supply chain piece to this as well. A July 2026 executive order signed by President Trump said the U.S. must source vital components for military equipment domestically or from allies.

NOAA Radios, Flashlights, Batteries, Solar Flashlights, Lanterns, and Headlamps. I buy all of my batteries through Sam’s Club. I joined their loyalty club and get delivery free with my annual membership.

What We Don’t Know Yet

I always want to give you the honest picture, so here it is. This is a plan and a goal, not something that is already finished. The 90-day standard is a planned requirement, not proof that all major bases can already operate independently for that long. The Pentagon hasn’t publicly announced a total FORTRESS budget or completion date. Secretary Hegseth’s memo ordered Pentagon teams to set up a dedicated office by October 30, and that office will report to the Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment, Michael Duffey.

Congress will have its say too. Because Congress controls defense spending, it’s expected to take a close look at the plan’s scope and price tag. Supporters see it as long overdue homeland preparedness, while others will want to know what it costs and how realistic the timeline is. Both are fair questions, and I’ll be watching to see how it unfolds.

What Other Countries Are Doing

Here’s the part that really caught my attention. The United States isn’t alone. Countries around the world are rethinking preparedness, and many are asking ordinary families to get involved.

Finland

It’s the example everyone points to. Finland and Sweden are known for their “total defense” approach, meaning national defense isn’t a job for the military alone but for the whole of society. Because Finland never let its system lapse, it’s considered the gold standard for whole-of-society preparedness. Think about this one: Finland has more than 50,000 shelters with room for 4.8 million people, a little over 85 percent of the population.

Sweden

Sweden let its old system lapse after the Cold War and is now rebuilding quickly. The Swedish government proposed about 12 billion kronor for civil defense for 2026 through 2028, including funding to build up preparedness stockpiles. In January, Sweden’s Minister for Civil Defense reported that the country now has stockpiles of medical products, has increased its supplies for purifying drinking water, and has begun reinforcing preparedness wells. And this one made my prepper heart happy: Swedish households are now encouraged to be ready to get by without government help for at least a week, a step up from the old 72-hour guideline.

European Union

The European Union as a whole has joined in. The EU wants every member country to encourage the distribution of 72-hour survival kits for citizens as part of its Preparedness Union Strategy, which also calls for greater stockpiling of essential supplies and better cooperation between civilian and military groups. The European Commission explained that in extreme disruptions, the first period is the most critical. The strategy even includes adding preparedness lessons to school curricula and creating an EU Preparedness Day.

Germany

Germany is studying the Nordic model closely. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius traveled to Scandinavia to learn about their civil protection models and then argued for stronger protection of the civilian population in Germany.

Asia

In Asia, the concerns are similar. Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea import nearly all of their oil and gas through sea routes that could be interrupted. Taiwan has planned counter-blockade drills and is increasing military spending to 5 percent of its economy by 2030. Both Germany and Japan have also been steadily increasing their defense spending.

What This Means for Our Families

When governments around the world start telling their citizens to keep water, food, and medicine on hand, and when our own military sets a goal of 90 days without outside help, I think it’s a gentle nudge for the rest of us. If our bases need a plan, so do our homes. A good friend shared this statement with me: ” Failure to plan on your part does not mean an emergency on my part.”

Notice that Europe is asking families for 72 hours and Sweden for a week, while our military is aiming for 90 days. I’ve always encouraged you to start small and build steadily. Begin with three days of water and food. Then work toward two weeks. Next, a month. Finally, three months, if your space and budget allow. Think about the same categories the military considers: water, fuel, power, medicine, communication, and food your family will actually eat.

How To Survive On Freeze-Dried Vegetables

11 Canned Meat Ideas I Recommend

15 Canned Vegetables I Highly Recommend

A Few Simple Steps

Here are a few simple steps you can take this week. Store at least one gallon of water per person per day, and don’t forget your pets. Add a few extra cans or jars to your cart each time you shop. Keep a battery-powered or hand-crank radio and spare batteries. Refill prescriptions on time and keep a small supply of over-the-counter basics. Consider a solar generator or a small power bank for phones. Write down important phone numbers on paper, because a dead phone won’t help you. By now you know, I disagree with the one gallon of water per person per day. It must be 4 gallons a day per person per day. Quit messing around with only one gallon. Geez Louise. You need water to stay hydrated, cook, perform basic personal hygiene tasks, and to do limited laundry like underwear.

None of this is meant to frighten anyone. Preparedness is about peace of mind. When the pantry is stocked and the water is stored, we can face hard times with a calm heart rather than panic. That’s what I want for every one of you. May God bless this world, Linda

Copyright Images: ogden-utah-aug-hill-aerospace-Depositphotos_175404432_S,ogden-utah-aug-hill-aerospace-Depositphotos_175404744_S

Sources:
IBTimes UK
Fox News
Snopes
Newsweek
Anadolu Agency
The Defense News
JFeed
Political.org
Heinrich Böll Stiftung
Government of Sweden, speech
Government of Sweden, budget
Defence24
Echo24
Euronews
Nutrition Insight
WION
China Russia Report
Lowy Institute

The post Fortress: The 90 Day Military Bases Plan appeared first on Food Storage Moms.

from Food Storage Moms

Read THIS Before Eating Your Survival Food!

Somewhere in the back of your pantry sits a can or jar that’s been there longer than you’d care to admit. And from the outside, it probably looks just fine. Stored food changes slowly, though, and much of that change happens where you can’t see it or smell it. For decades, we’ve had the luxury of shrugging off a bad meal, because a doctor and a pharmacy were never far away.

After SHTF, that comfort disappears in a hurry. A bout of vomiting and diarrhea can leave a grown man too weak to stand within a day or two. And without enough clean water to replace what he loses, dehydration sets in fast. For an older body, especially one already dealing with heart or kidney trouble, things turn dangerous even sooner.

So stored food deserves a closer look before it goes on the plate, whether you’re rotating your stockpile or eating from it in a crisis. Some of the old rules of thumb hold up well, but a few of them could get you hurt.

Which Dented and Rusty Cans Are Still Safe to Eat

Store-bought canned food is about as safe as long-term food storage gets, but only while the can stays sealed tight. The canning process kills the germs inside, so the real risk comes later, from damage that lets air and bacteria back in. And where that damage sits on the can matters more than how big it looks, so these are the spots to check before you trust what’s inside:

• Dents on the smooth side: A shallow dent here is usually harmless. The exception is a dent with a sharp point or crease you can feel under your thumb.
• Dents on the top or bottom seam: That rim is where the lid is crimped onto the body, so even a small kink can break the seal without leaving a gap you’d ever spot. That’s why the USDA advises throwing out any can with a deep dent or a dent on the seam.
• Light surface rust: A thin orange film that wipes off with a dry cloth won’t hurt the food.
• Flaking or pitted rust: Rust that flakes away and leaves pits along the seam means the metal has thinned. Once it gets that thin, pinholes can open and let bacteria in, often without a leak you’d notice.
• Cans that froze: Cans kept in an unheated garage or shed can freeze during a hard winter, and the expanding food can stretch the seams and push the ends outward. If the seams look sound once the can thaws, the food is generally fine to use, but a can with a burst or rusted seam belongs in the trash.

Dents and rust aren’t the whole picture either, so make sure you check these 10 ways to tell if a store-bought can is still good to eat, and you’ll want to run through them before you sort out a whole pantry shelf.

What’s inside matters too, since tomatoes, fruit, sauerkraut and juices are high in acid and that acid eats at the metal over time. So those cans go stale faster than corn or green beans and are the first to pick up a metallic taste or develop pinholes, which puts them at the front of the rotation. And if liquid spurts out or the food smells off when you open one, trash it without tasting. Botulism from commercial cans is rare, but it paralyzes the muscles you breathe with, and after SHTF the ventilator that would keep you alive is out of reach. 

The Perfect Home-Canned Jar That Can Make You Sick

Picture a jar of home-canned green beans pulled off a basement shelf by flashlight on a cold evening. The lid sits flat and the beans look as green as the day they went in, so opening it feels perfectly safe. Yet according to the C

DC, home-canned vegetables are the most common cause of botulism outbreaks in this country. The hardest part is that the toxin often leaves no sign at all. A jar can look and smell completely normal while holding enough toxin to paralyze whoever eats from it, which is why the CDC warns against tasting food from a suspect jar, even a small bite. 

So here’s what to run through before anything from that shelf hits a plate:

• The seal, before the lid ever comes off: With the metal band removed, lift the jar slightly by the edges of the flat lid and keep your other hand underneath. A good seal holds the jar’s weight without any trouble. But if the lid lets go or shifts, air may have gotten inside, and that jar shouldn’t be eaten.
• The liquid, held up to a light: Streams of tiny bubbles rising on their own mean something inside is fermenting. Cloudy liquid and a sticky residue on the rim point to spoilage too, and so does a lid that spurts when it comes off.
• Food above the liquid line: Those top pieces often darken in the jar. Usually that color change comes from air in the headspace and doesn’t mean the jar has spoiled, though it’s still a good reason to recheck the seal before opening.
• How the jar was processed: Green beans, corn, meat, and other low-acid foods put up in a boiling water bath never got hot enough to kill botulism spores. Those spores survive ordinary boiling, so low-acid food has to go through a pressure canner. Jars done the other way shouldn’t be trusted, whether they came from an old family recipe or a hand-me-down cookbook.

Have you ever wondered how the Amish keep their homemade cans good for years? They do it without a pressure gauge or a freezer, just methods passed down through generations. That’s why you must try their secret methods on your own shelf this season. 

Why Pemmican Made With Berries Spoils Faster

Pemmican made the traditional way, from dried lean meat pounded fine and mixed with rendered tallow, has very little water in it. That low moisture is a big part of why it keeps so long. Adding dried berries changes the balance, because the fruit holds more moisture and sugar than the meat does. As a result, pockets of fruit inside a bar can grow mold while the outside looks perfectly clean. Breaking a berry bar open and checking the center takes only a few seconds, and fuzzy spots, a sour smell or a damp feel near the fruit mean that bar goes in the trash.

Plain pemmican runs into a different problem, and that problem is rancid tallow. Good tallow smells mild and almost clean, while rancid tallow gives off a sharp, stale odor and tastes soapy or bitter. Eating a bar like that can bring on nausea and loose stools. And pemmican is prized for packing a lot of calories into a small space, so a bar you can’t keep down wastes exactly the food you were counting on.

Both problems come down to how the bars were made in the first place, so a better option is to make this pemmican recipe that keeps for 20+ years, and rumor has it the bars still taste good after two decades if you apply the #1 trick that comes with it.

How to Tell If Water-Glassed Eggs Have Gone Bad

Water-glassing only works with unwashed eggs, because washing strips off the bloom that seals the shell. And US producers wash theirs before they ever hit the store, so those eggs never had the protection to begin with.

A good jar holds milky or clear liquid with lime settled on the bottom. But a foul smell when you lift the lid tells you it’s gone, and so does a cracked egg or liquid that dropped low enough to leave eggs sitting in the air.

So rinse the lime off before you crack one, since it’s caustic stuff. Then crack each egg into its own bowl, because a bad one announces itself the second it hits the dish. Thin whites are normal, though, so don’t let that worry you.

Still, the shells turn brittle after months in lime and tend to split when boiled. So prick the large end with a pin, or skip the trouble and scramble them. Either way, cook them through, since a bad egg brings salmonella and that kind of diarrhea costs you water you can’t spare.

Even though lime eggs are a good option, a way better option is to make powdered eggs at home. I tried this recipe myself last month, and the eggs came out perfect:

Moisture is the only thing that can ruin it. So once you open the can, scoop with a dry spoon and seal it back up tight. Powder that turned into hard lumps or smells stale and glue-like has already gone off.

The best part is that the powder keeps for years in a sealed can, and you only add water to bring it back. From there, you can scramble it for breakfast, work it into cakes, or use it for homemade pasta. 

The Hidden Danger in Old Rice and Dried Beans 

Red kidney beans contain a natural toxin called phytohaemagglutinin, and according to the FDA even a few raw beans can make you sick. The illness hits within a few hours, bringing severe vomiting and diarrhea. Beans warmed but never boiled can be worse than raw ones, so skip the slow cooker. Soak them first, then boil them hard in fresh water.

Old beans make that harder, because years in storage can cost them their ability to soften. When fuel runs low, it’s tempting to pull a stubborn pot off the fire early, and with kidney beans that shortcut is how people get sick. A pressure cooker handles them best, while a pinch of baking soda in the soaking water helps too.

White rice is one of the longest keepers you can store, but brown rice keeps its bran layer and the oil in it turns rancid years sooner. It rarely makes anyone sick, though it tastes bad enough that hungry people throw it out. Moisture causes the other common problem, and your nose usually catches it first. Here’s what to look for before any of it goes into the pot:

• A musty or sour smell: water got in at some point, and clumped grains or discolored patches say the same.
• Mold: the toxins survive cooking, so picking out bad grains and eating the rest is a poor gamble.
• Insect damage: small holes in beans, webbing in the rice, or fine powder at the bottom of the bucket.

A better option? The dry canning method. You heat the jars with the rice or beans inside, then seal them hot with an oxygen absorber, which locks out the moisture and air behind almost every problem above. This way, you can store white rice and dried beans for 25 to 30 years. Find the step-by-step method here.

What Can Go Wrong With Flour and Cornmeal

Flour looks like clean dry powder, so it’s easy to forget it’s a raw farm product. Nobody treats wheat to kill germs before milling, and the CDC has tied several E.coli and Salmonella outbreaks to raw flour. That’s why licking the spoon can make you sick, even when the flour smells perfect. 

Beyond that, here’s what to watch for in storage:

• Whole wheat, rye, oat, and almond flour: the oily germ turns rancid long before white flour does. Bitter, sharp smell instead of mildly nutty means it’s gone.
• Stone-ground cornmeal: same problem, while the degerminated kind from the supermarket lasts much longer. Musty smell, hard clumps, or dark specks point to mold that makes aflatoxin, so trash the batch.
• Weevils and pantry moths: small dark beetles moving through the flour, or silky webbing in the corners of the bag. A few won’t hurt you, but a heavy infestation means the flour took on moisture.
• Self-rising flour: the baking powder fades over time. Bake one test biscuit before you mix a full batch, or you waste the flour and the fuel.

Good Mold and Bad Mold on Cured Meats

Dry meats, such as “the forever sausage,” often carry a dusty white mold as well, and many of them are made that way on purpose.

Harmless surface mold tends to look dry and powdery, in white or pale gray. By contrast, fuzzy green or black patches that reach down into the meat mean the whole piece should go.

Cured meat comes with its own set of checks, so run through these before anything goes in the pan:

• Slime: A wet, sticky film on salt pork, sausage or jerky comes from bacteria rather than mold, and no amount of scrubbing makes that meat safe. A sour smell or a sharp whiff of ammonia points to the same thing.
• Yellowed fat: Fresh fat on cured meat is white or cream colored, so fat that has yellowed and smells stale or painty has gone rancid. That rarely causes real food poisoning, but it upsets your stomach and ruins the taste of everything cooked with it.
• Underdried jerky: Bend a strip. Well-dried jerky cracks without snapping in two, while a strip that bends easily and feels damp in the middle lets mold grow inside the bag.
• Heavy salt: Country ham and salt pork can leave you badly thirsty, and with rationed water that’s a cost you can’t spare. Soaking them in fresh water before cooking pulls out a good share of it, though the soaking water comes out of your budget since you can’t drink it after.

Wiping mold off a cured sausage or a ham sends spores into the air, and breathing them in can leave you wheezing for days. That’s worse news if you already deal with asthma.

What’s happening is your body dumping histamine. But luckily, there’s a plant that fights that, now or when SHTF. If you already have The Forgotten Home Apothecary, look for the Histamine Balance Tea on page 118. Stinging nettle is the plant doing the work there, and it’s long been used to calm allergic reactions, itchy skin, and the kind of airway irritation those spores kick off.

But if you don’t want the hassle of making it, get the famous stinging nettle spagyric extract from Nicole Apelian’s official website. I carry it in my bag year-round, mostly through allergy season in spring, but also for hives and the stuffed-up head that comes with dusty work. And what’s special about it is that spagyric pulls more out of the plant than a regular tincture, which is why users rated it five stars. I’m telling you, this nettle extract is something you’ll want on hand at all times.

But if you have severe allergies, keep antihistamines in the stockpile too, like Allegra or Claritin. Wipe the meat down outside when you can, since what’s underneath is usually fine to cook.

If a Stored Meal Makes Someone Sick…

Even careful checks miss things, so it helps to know which symptoms pass on their own and which ones don’t.

Botulism rarely looks like a stomach bug. According to the CDC, it starts in the face, with double vision, drooping eyelids and slurred speech, then spreads down to the chest and the muscles you breathe with. There’s usually no fever, so someone clear-headed who suddenly can’t swallow needs help fast. Bag the jar or can instead of rinsing it, since doctors can test what’s left.

Salmonella and bean toxin are far more common, and healthy adults ride them out. For older folks, the water lost to vomiting and diarrhea is the real danger. Thirst fades with age, so watch for dark urine, dizziness and confusion instead.

To make sure you can take care of someone who got food poisoning from your stockpile, you need this first-aid manual on the shelf, written by a doctor for the days you can’t reach one. This way you will learn:

• The facial signs that separate botulism from a stomach bug, and the window where the antitoxin still works
• The homemade rehydration formula doctors use in the field, down to the exact salt and sugar measurements
• Why the anti-diarrhea pill in most medicine cabinets traps a salmonella infection inside you
• The three signs that tell you an older person is dangerously dehydrated before they ever feel thirsty
• How to keep someone breathing and stable through the night when there’s no ambulance coming
• What to do for a child or an elderly relative, since the doses and danger signs aren’t the same as for a grown adult

Keep it next to your food, and you’ll know what to do on the night something slips through. 

---

You may also like:

Why You Shouldn’t Stockpile Beans and Rice

The Homemade Antibiotic That You Can Smoke (VIDEO)

Signs You’re (Probably) Not Taking Prepping Seriously

The Amish Never Store These Foods in The Root Cellar

How to Make Finger-Licking Brisket in a Jar

The post Read THIS Before Eating Your Survival Food! appeared first on Ask a Prepper.

from Ask a Prepper https://ift.tt/mw036jB

How to Make a Candle That Lasts 100 Hours

Estimated reading time: 22 minutes

There are a lot of ideas out there about how to get something to burn for 100 hours or more. We’re going to cover some of them, but we'll start with the true definition of a candle, which is a wick contained in wax.

The truth is, most conventional candles won’t burn for 100 hours. Their burn-life varies depending on a number of factors, particularly their size. But while size matters, there are other factors that allow a candle to burn long-term.

Who Needs a 100-Hour Candle?

The benefit of a long burning candle is that it simplifies things. Rather than stocking multiple candles or constantly finding replacements, a long-burning candle can be extinguished and relit without a lot of fussing around.

That can be a benefit in an emergency when the power is out and a few candles are the only way to find your way around in the dark. A long-burning candle is also more cost-effective.

They might cost a little more to make upfront, but if you look at the price for multiple, conventional candles with the same burn time, it’s cheaper to have a candle that keeps going and going.

Table of Contents

• Candle Making 101
• Some Things About Candles You Maybe Didn’t Know
• Wax Facts
• Wax Blends and Additives
• Candle Shape and Size
• Candle Molds and Containers
• The Best 100-Hour Candle
• Storing Your Candles

Candle Making 101

There are books about candle making, but the actual process is fairly basic and watching a video or reading an article or two should give you all you need to know. Here are links to some candle making sources to consider:

• How to Make Homemade Candles for Beginners
• Learn how to make candles
• How to Make Candles: A Step-by-Step Guide 
• How to Make Candles (VIDEO)

Before we get into the basic steps for making a few variations on a 100-hour candle, it’s worth covering some of the factors that allow a candle to burn longer. Some of it has to do with the materials and the amount of wax you use to make your candle, but there are some other small and surprising factors that can extend the burn-life of any candle.

Consider the following:

Candle Wicks

We’re accustomed to candle wicks made from braided cotton or fabric. They’re a proven material for candles, and the burn-life of the material is determined by the “ply.” A candle wick is a braided combination of small strings, and the larger the ply, the larger the wick.

A 24-ply candle wick has 24 threads in the braid. A 45-ply wick is often identified as the best wick size for a long burn, but all of this assumes you have the time to buy or order wicks online for candle making.

In an emergency, there are a variety of other materials that can be used in place of a braided wick. Here are a few possibilities in case you’re without some resources for candle making:

• Cotton shoelaces
• Small strips of braided fabric
• A strand from a mop
• A wooden skewer
• Twisted paper towel, napkin or toilet paper
• Small diameter, hemp rope, or string

All of these materials will burn with the characteristics of a candle wick not only in wax, but fats, oils, and some of the other fuels we’ll cover. A specifically braided candle wick may be best, but many of these alternatives work surprisingly well.

A Bit More About Wicks

Here are some other things to remember on the subject of candle wicks that go a bit beyond the materials used to extend the burn-time of any candle:

Trim Your Wicks

As a candle burns, the wicks can increase in length, curl, or worse – drop bits of charred materials into the pool of wax at the top of the candle. After your candle has been extinguished for a few minutes, or before you relight, make sure you trim the wick to a ¼ from the top of the wax.

Wick trimming also prevents the candle from burning too hot and too tall. This burns off wax faster and that’s not the idea when you’re going for a long-term burn.

Of course there are wick trimmers you could buy, but most of us use a small pair of scissors or nail clippers. It doesn’t matter as long as you remember to trim your wicks before relighting.

If you ever have a wick that is broken off at the base, or trimmed too far – push a length of toothpick into the wax next to the wick and it will burn until the wax burns down to the original candle wick again.

Dip The Wicks

Regardless of the material you use for a wick, it’s wise to dip any wick in melted wax and let it dry on parchment paper or suspended from a stick or string. This will give the wick some structural integrity when you’re filling your candle container or mold with melted wax. The melted wax will melt some of the wax on the wick, but it gives you a fighting chance to keep the wick straight.

There are also candle wick weights that are circular and flattened that can keep your wick in place while the melted wax sets. Attach these weights to your candle wick before dipping the wick in wax so it’s firmly attached to the wick material.

You could also suspend the wick from a stick or pencil over the candle mold to keep it in position. A lot of that depends on the type of candle you’re making, but if it helps to keep the wick straight and in position, do it.

3 wicks versus 1 wick

It may come as a surprise, but a 3-wick candle can actually burn longer than a single wick. That’s because 3 wicks melt the wax on the surface into an even pool of wax that prevents tunneling. More wick maintenance is inevitable with 3 wicks, but if you watch your wicks and use the right wax in the right size, a 3-wick candle can be a 100-hour winner.

Test Your Wick Size

Choosing the right wick size isn't always an exact science, and the only way to know for sure is to do a test burn. A properly sized wick will create a melt pool that reaches the edge of the candle within about 3 to 4 hours, with a steady flame about an inch tall.

If the flame is tall, flickers a lot, or gives off black smoke, the wick is probably too big. That means you're burning through wax faster than you need to. If the flame is small and weak and the melt pool never makes it to the edges, the wick is too small and the candle will tunnel.

It's a good idea to make one test candle before you make a batch. That way, you can adjust the wick size before you've used up all your wax.

Some Things About Candles You Maybe Didn’t Know

The first time you light a candle you should let it burn for 4 to 6 hours.

Hopefully you’re doing this at night when you need the candle, but try to at least get a 4-hour burn on a new candle.

That’s because there’s actually something called “candle memory.” A candle seems to remember how deep it burned and will remember that and repeat the burning behavior. The result is consistently poor burning once the candle memory has been set.

The reason for a long first burn is to avoid something called “tunneling.” Tunneling occurs when a pool of wax has not been allowed to form across the top of the candle. If only a small pocket of wax has been melted and burned off, the wick will begin to burrow the flame down into the candle, literally creating a tunnel.

It results in a very inefficient burn and can actually bury the wick in melted wax when extinguished. That first burn sets the stage for how efficiently the candle will burn throughout its burn-life, so try to get it off to a good start with at least a 4-hour burn.

Don’t Blow It Out

This is a head-scratcher for a lot of us. After a lifetime of birthday parties since childhood, where we’re always told to “blow out the candles,” there’s some advice out there to use a snuffer.

Snuffers have been around for centuries, and there’s a reason. A snuffer protects the integrity of the wick and once again helps to prevent bits of wick and debris from breaking off onto the surface of the candle. The result is a clean candle and a clean burn.

Snuffing also prevents a wick from smoking after the flame is out, and while the wick cools, it will actually draw some melted wax up and into the wick. Once this hardens, it’s a lot easier to trim that wick.

You don’t have to buy a snuffer. A thimble taped to a stick works in a pinch, or you can watch a video or read an article all about how to improvise one.

Salt the Candle

Sodium chloride or salt slows the melting and dripping of a candle. There’s two ways to use it. One is to sprinkle some salt on the top of a burning candle after the wax pool has formed. The other way is to dissolve 2 tablespoons of salt in two cups of water and soak the candle for 24 hours. Dry it off and it should burn better with less dripping.

Keep It Out of Drafts

A candle burning near an open window, a fan, or a heating vent won't burn evenly. The flame will lean and flicker, which causes the candle to burn faster on one side and drip more. That's wasted wax.

Place your candle somewhere sheltered from air currents. If that isn't possible, a glass hurricane shade or a tall jar around the candle will protect the flame and help it burn more slowly and evenly.

Don't Burn It Too Long at Once

That first long burn is important, but after that, it's best to limit burn sessions to about 4 hours at a time. When a candle burns for too long, the wick tends to “mushroom,” or build up carbon on the tip. The flame gets bigger, the candle gets hotter, and the wax burns off faster. Extinguish it, let it cool for a couple of hours, trim the wick, and relight.

Freezing the Candle?

There’s some advice out there that recommends freezing a candle for a couple of hours to extend its burn life. Unfortunately, it could also cause the candle to crack and significantly reduce its burn time.

It might be worth trying with a paraffin candle, but some of the more expensive wax options probably aren’t worth the risk, and they already have good, long-burning characteristics.

How to Prolong the Burn Time of my Candle

Get More Light Out of Your Candle

If you're relying on candles during a power outage, you want to get as much light as possible out of every one. Placing a mirror behind your candle will reflect light back into the room and nearly double the amount of light you get. A piece of aluminum foil wrapped around a sheet of cardboard and placed behind the candle works too.

Light-colored walls also help, so if you have a choice, burn your candles in a room with white or pale walls rather than a dark one.

Wax Facts

Most candles are made from paraffin. It’s a petroleum derivative and is the cheapest form of wax. As usual, you get what you pay for, and paraffin has the shortest burn-life of the all the waxes we’ll cover.

They also tend to be the most odorous, and any chemicals they give off while burned are of course derived from petroleum. All of that notwithstanding, they’re relatively safe and the most popular candle wax in use.

Soy Wax

Soy wax is derived from the oil in soybeans. The oil is hydrogenated to a wax and is often used in candle making. It does not give off smoky odors, harmful by-products or black soot because it’s vegetable based.

It has a mild scent and burns slower than paraffin due to its slow-burning characteristics. Soy wax also pools easier and better than paraffin so a candle is less likely to tunnel. It’s also somewhat inexpensive but not as cheap as paraffin.

One thing to keep in mind is that not all soy wax is the same. Container soy wax is soft and is designed to be poured into jars. If you try to make a freestanding candle out of it, it may not hold its shape very well. If you're making a pillar candle like the one in the instructions below, look for soy wax labeled as “pillar” wax or a soy blend made for molds.

Coconut Wax

You don’t hear a lot about coconut wax, but it’s emerging as a type of wax used more and more in candles. It is made from the meat of the coconut which is then hydrogenated to thicken it into a wax.

Contrary to what you might expect, it does not give off a coconut scent due to the hydrogenation process. It’s a clean burning wax type and also burns longer than paraffin because it burns at a lower temperature and costs a little more than paraffin.

Beeswax

Beeswax is the historical choice when it comes to candle making. Many houses of worship will only use beeswax candles. It burns clean and long. It’s obviously organic and gives off no noxious fumes or chemicals. It’s also the most expensive and gives off a faint scent of honey when burned.

Wax Blends and Additives

It didn’t take people too long to engage in some candle wax alchemy. Many of these combinations combine waxes to defray the cost or enhance performance.

Some unscrupulous merchants will combine paraffin with another wax and tout it as beeswax or coconut wax and neglect to mention there’s a percentage of paraffin in the mix. That’s another benefit of making your own. You’ll always know what’s in it.

Whether or not you blend your waxes is up to you. Soy wax and paraffin wax makes the most economical blend with the longer lasting properties of the soy wax as a benefit.

There are two additives that can extend the burn-time for a candle. If you want to make this complicated, you can try it. It could be the cheapest way to get paraffin to burn longer.

Vegetable Stearin

This is essentially stearic acid. It’s a palm oil-based candle additive. It has a high melting point making the wax harder to melt and extending candle life.

Homogenizer BE60

This stuff is starting to sound scary, but it’s not that bad. It’s an additive that optimizes the combustion rate and fixes the oils in candles.

The recommended ratio is 0.2% to 0.5% of the total weight of the candle. It can be added to all waxes but is unnecessary if all you’re trying to accomplish is 100-hours for a candle. If you’re out to set some candle records, give it a try.

Guide to the 7 Types of Candle Wax

Candle Shape and Size

Candles come in a variety of shapes, although most tend to be elongated with various widths. The best shape for a long-burning candle is cylindrical. In actual fact, the size and shape of a candle also affects the burn time. A small votive candle will burn slower than a larger, cylindrical candle, but the small amount of wax in a votive won’t get it to 100-hours.

Generally, the best height and diameter for a 100-hour candle varies depending on the wax type, and we’ll cover those parameters in a chart a little later.

Candle Molds and Containers

You basically have two options with a candle: Mold it into a solid shape or contain the wax in a jar or container.

A container is a little more difficult to maintain as the wax or fuel burns down. This is particularly true with any wick maintenance or debris that ends up in the wax or fuel (oil/shortening/etc.) Candles in jars or containers always look pristine when first put together, but after half of the wax or fuel is gone, we rarely see a picture.

Candles made of solid wax are more accessible in terms of wax and wick maintenance although they should still have a plate, dish, or other barrier between the candle bottom and any surface. In spite of your best efforts, candles drip and open flames are always a fire hazard.

You can buy candle molds online or at stores like Hobby Lobby. You can also improvise your own candle molds with packages that are cylindrical and made of cardboard. Some coffee cans and others products have this type of packaging. The cardboard is important so you can tear and peel it off once the wax has hardened.

Mason jars are another possibility but a wide mouth jar is better so you can access the wick for trimming or to remove debris from melted wax.

Even something as basic as a glass bowl can be used to contain the wax, especially for a 3-wick candle.

Wax, Fat and Oil Burn Times

Regardless of what you use as fuel for your candle, the amount you need for a 100-hour burn is going to vary. This is good to know if all you have are certain types of wax or fuels and want to create a 100-hour candle.

As a general rule, 1 ounce of wax will burn in a candle for 7+ hours on average. This depends on other factors like wick type and size, candle size, and general candle maintenance.

Here are some average burn times for various waxes, fats, and oils. The averages assume ideal burning conditions and wick maintenance. If in doubt or unable to maintain ideal conditions, just use more of the wax or fuel if you can spare it.

Wax or Fuel	Amount	Burn Hours	Size
Paraffin	1-ounce	4 to 5 hours	22 ozs./6”H x 3”W CANDLE
Soy Wax	1-ounce	5+ hours	20 ozs./5”H x 3”W CANDLE
Coconut Wax	1-ounce	6 to 7 hours	16 ozs./4”H x 3”W CANDLE
Beeswax	1-ounce	7+ hours	14 OZS./3.5”Hx3”W CANDLE
Vegetable Oil	1-ounce	2 hours	50 ozs. In a wide mouth jar
Shortening (Crisco)	1-ounce	6+ hours	17 ozs. In a wide mouth mason jar
Butter (butter candles are a tradition in Tibet)	1-ounce	2 hours	50 ozs in a wide mouth jar

The Best 100-Hour Candle

5×3 Soy Candle

Considering what we’ve covered so far, we’re going to select the best and most affordable elements to make a wax-based, 100-hour candle. Here’s the winning combination:

Ingredients:

• 20 Ounces of soy wax
• 6-inch long, 45-ply wick

Equipment:

• Hot plate
• Metal pot with spout
• Candle thermometer (or candy thermometer)
• Cardboard tube at least 5-inches high and 3-inches wide (We used an empty cardboard package used to hold Progresso bread crumbs.)

• Wooden skewer or pencil to support wick and keep it centered
• Metal or ceramic plate to support the candle when done (We ended up using an empty tuna can.)

Directions:

1. Weigh the bottom of the wick either with a wick shoe or tie the wick to a washer or metal nut.

2. Push the skewer through the side of the cardboard mold about 6-inches high. We’re making a 5-inch tall candle so you want at least an inch of the wick sticking up. We’ll trim it later before lighting for the first time.

3. Lower the wick into the cardboard mold and try to center it in the bottom.

4. Tape the top of the wick to the skewer or pencil to keep the top centered.

Note: You may need to use another skewer or pencil to move the bottom weight of the wick back to center after pouring in the melted wax.

5. Tape the bottom of the cardboard mold to a piece of wood or some other surface so it doesn’t tip while you pour the wax.

6. Put 20 ounces of soy wax into your metal pot and begin to melt it over the hot plate on medium heat.

Note: If you have one, a double boiler is a safer way to melt wax because it prevents the wax from overheating. You can make your own by placing a metal pitcher or a coffee can inside a pot of simmering water.

7. Stir gently as the wax melts. You could use the thermometer to gently stir and while you monitor the temperature.

8. You do not want the temperature to exceed 200 degrees Fahrenheit. That could burn the wax and lead to a higher risk of flammability.

9. Once the wax is melted and clear, slowly and carefully pour it into the mold until it is 1-inch below the top of the wick.

10. Add hot water to the pot and bring to a boil to clean the pot. While the water is boiling, stir your thermometer around to melt any wax that has adhered to the thermometer.

11. Let the wax harden in the mold for 24 hours.

Note: As wax cools, it shrinks. You may notice a dip or sinkhole forming around the wick as the candle hardens. If that happens, save a little of your wax, remelt it, and pour a thin layer over the top to fill in the hole. This is called a “second pour” and it keeps your candle burning evenly.

12. Once the wax has hardened, carefully cut a slit in the top of the cardboard and begin to peel off the cardboard.

13. Drip some wax onto your metal or ceramic plate and set the candle into the melted wax so it adheres to the base.

14. Trim the wick to ¼-inch from the surface of the candle.

15. If it’s an emergency, you’re new 100-hour candle is good to go. If you have the time, let the candle continue to harden and cure for about a week.

Storing Your Candles

If you're making 100-hour candles for emergencies, you'll probably be storing them for a while. Keep them in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight and heat sources, which can cause them to soften, warp, or fade. Wrap them in plastic wrap or store them in a sealed container to keep dust and debris out. Dust on the wick can cause it to burn poorly.

If you're using soy wax, you might notice a white, crystalline coating forming on your candles over time. This is called “frosting.” It's completely natural and doesn't affect how the candle burns.

Save Your Leftover Wax

Even the best candles leave a little wax behind. Rather than throwing it away, save the stubs and leftover wax in a coffee can. Once you've collected enough, you can melt it down and make a brand new candle. In an emergency, that leftover wax could be the difference between having light and sitting in the dark.

Candle Safety

It's easy to forget that candles are an open flame, especially when you're using them every night during a power outage. Here are a few basic safety tips:

• Never leave a burning candle unattended or burn one while you're sleeping.
• Keep candles at least 12 inches away from anything that can catch fire, like curtains, bedding, and paper.
• Keep candles out of reach of children and pets.
• Stop burning a candle when there's about ½ inch of wax left. If it's in a container, the glass can overheat and crack.
• Keep a fire extinguisher nearby, and never use water to put out a wax fire.

Some Quick Variations

The process for a wax candle is the same with any wax you use whether it’s paraffin, soy wax, coconut wax or beeswax. However, there is a lot out there about Crisco candles and other types of fuels using a wick to create light. All of them promise significantly long burn times.

Rather than dive into all the details, here are some links to some very good ideas for improvising a candle when you don’t have the luxury of exotic waxes, or in the event of a rapidly unfolding emergency.

• Emergency DIY Crisco Candle
• How To Make a 100 Hours Waste Cooking Oil Candle | DIY
• How to Make a Butter Candle in 3 Easy Steps

Candles are Actually Easy to Make

Like so many things, once you’ve tried something it’s easier to try it again. Over time you can experiment with wax blends and even fragrances and scents. The important thing to is to know how to improvise light with candle in and emergency, and know how to make it last and last.

You May Also Like:

• How to Make a Bacon Fat Candle
• 8 Smart Ways to Reuse Coffee Grounds
• How To Make A Mini Vegetable Oil Candle
• How to Make Roman Concrete
• How to Get Rid of Tree Stumps By Growing Mushrooms

The post How to Make a Candle That Lasts 100 Hours appeared first on Homestead Survival Site.

from Homestead Survival Site https://ift.tt/tLbyesd