How to Make a Power Bank from Car Batteries

Estimated reading time: 19 minutes

In a Pinch, a Car Battery Can Do More Than Start a Car.

The power is out, and you have no idea how long it will be before it returns. Hopefully, you have a lights out box and know how to survive a power outage. But did you know your car's battery can supply you with quick access to power?

In fact, if the power is out for a long period of time, you could join together multiple car batteries to create a power bank. But you’ll have to do a little homework and some advance planning first.

Off-Grid Power Alternatives

There’s no lack of off-grid power options. Many people rely on solar power, some combine that with wind, and a few use the current from a creek or river. But all of those installations are complex and expensive projects. This is about pulling together an improvised power backup for as little cost as possible with a reasonable amount of work.

However, recharging your improvised power bank during a power outage may require alternative energy sources like solar or wind or even hand-cranked or foot pedaled power generation, so you’re not out of the solar woods yet.

Before You Yank That Battery Out of Your Car…

Stop and think about what you’re trying to do. If it’s a simple, short-term task, you may be better off leaving the battery under the hood. Your car is designed to recharge your battery every time you start it.

If you just want to recharge a cell phone or computer battery, many cars have built-in USB ports or at the least a cigarette lighter plugin. This assumes you have the USB cable or lighter plugin, but as long as there’s gas in the tank, your car could be your charging station. Better yet, almost every car has a radio, so you can keep up on the news while you recharge.

Vehicle AC Inverter

If you need to power something like a tool or appliance with alternating current, you could attach a small AC inverter under the hood or your cigarette lighter plug and use your appliance on a bench or table next to your vehicle. This assumes smaller, simpler, short-term use. If it looks like you’re out of power for the long haul, you may need to consider the next step.

From a Single Battery to a Power Bank

A power bank is two or more car batteries linked together with cables to hold more power in reserve and to boost the power. Creating a power bank is a little complicated, but if you understand the fundamental dynamics of what you’re doing, you should be able to master it in a day or two.

A Remote Power Option

If you have a remote cabin, barn, or shed without power and it's too far away for an extension cord, you could also consider a car battery power bank as a power source. You could recharge the batteries at home or use your vehicle as a remote charging station for your remote battery bank, that way you can use power tools or anything else that requires electricity.

Then again, a couple of solar panels on the roof or a generator alone would do the trick, but they’re still somewhat expensive.

It’s a Low-Cost Power Option

It’s somewhat easy to salvage batteries from junkyards, and that’s a good place to start. You may have to add dilute sulfuric acid and they’ll probably need to be cleaned up, but if you can find some car batteries on the cheap, you’re more than halfway to an emergency power bank. Just make sure you do some research on reconditioning car batteries before you hit the junkyard.

Lead-Acid Batteries 101

A battery is an electrochemical energy storage device that uses chemistry to store potential energy measured in volts. The first lead-acid battery was invented by French physicist Gaston Plante in 1859. The same technology is still used today. The basic design of a standard 12-volt lead-acid car battery consists of six lead galvanic cells connected in series and housed within a battery case.

An acidic electrolyte is added as a diluted solution of sulfuric acid. Concentrations vary but are generally less than or equal to 40%. The acid solution creates negatively charged sulfate ions and positively charged hydrogen ions that interact with the lead plates to hold an electric charge.

Before You Buy a Lead-Acid Battery from the Junk Yard…

Before you yank a battery out of the junkyard it’s a good idea to assess the condition of the battery. Whenever doing any testing or maintenance on a car battery wear protective eyewear, thick gloves, and a long sleeve shirt. Sulfuric acid is not user-friendly stuff and lead’s not much better.

Voltmeter

You’ll also need a voltmeter to measure the current charge (if any) and a hydrometer to assess the sulfuric acid concentration in the dilution. Both testing tools come with instructions on how to assess a battery’s condition.

If the battery checks out you’re good to go and load it up for further work at home, although some junkyard batteries show little or no charge if they have been in the junkyard for a long time.

Hydrometer

Maintaining Lead-Acid Batteries

Some car batteries are maintenance-free. Others aren’t. The simple fact is that most lead-acid batteries require regular maintenance. The primary thing you want to assess is the fluid in the battery and corrosion on the terminals.

• To remove any corrosion, mix up a paste of baking soda and water and coat the terminal. Use a metal brush to remove the corrosion. Wear all of your safety gear.
• The fluid level should be over the top of the lead plates. You usually add distilled water because the sulfuric acid tends to remain in the dilution. Often there are marks on the battery case indicating ideal fluid level. It’s the water that evaporates. However, it’s a good time to use your hydrometer to assess the sulfuric acid dilution and if it’s low, add sulfuric acid. Carefully. Measure your water/acid dilution with the hydrometer as you go.
• Inspect the battery case. The batteries should always be kept dry and show no signs of cracks or fissures. If it does, leave it in the junkyard. If you already own it, take it to a store that sells batteries and they’ll recycle it. They may charge you a fee, but it’s illegal to simply throw any lead-acid battery away.

DC Versus AC

DC stands for “direct current.” AC stands for “alternating current.” They are not compatible and anything you plug into a wall with a standard plug will not run on direct current. Direct current is low voltage compared to alternating current.

Most car batteries run at 12 volts, although other batteries produce voltage (V) at a range from 1.5V, 3.7V, 6V, 9V, 12V, 24V, and up. Alternating current runs at 110 or 220 volts.

Most things in our homes that plug into an electrical outlet are running at 110 volts. Large appliances and equipment like ovens and well pumps run on 220 volts. Don’t even think about powering an oven or well pump with an improvised car battery power bank. Even a whole-house solar installation is challenged with that level of power demand.

The advantages and disadvantages are complex, but the telegram is that something designed to work on DC will not work with AC unless it is stepped down with a DC converter. That thing you plug into the wall when recharging your cell phone with a USB cable is a DC converter that reduces the high AC voltage to DC to recharge your phone or laptop.

On the other hand, lights and appliances that plug into a wall outlet won’t work when connected directly to DC power. In that instance, you need an AC inverter. It steps up the voltage to 110 volts to power lights and anything else designed for AC.

AC Inverters

AC Inverter

Based on the assumption that you’re going to be using your battery power bank to run tools, lighting, and other standard electrical equipment, you’ll need to buy a serious AC inverter. They’re sold at hardware stores and on the Internet and are relatively inexpensive.

They all feature standard outlet plugs and most are designed to provide 110 volts. Some even have a USB outlet for direct connection to DC power for recharging small batteries in electronics.

The important thing to look for on an AC inverter is that it is designed as a “12-volt to 110-volt converter.” Inverters are designed for a range of voltage, and a standard car battery runs at 12-volts.

You also want the option of cable clamps to clamp directly to the battery terminals in addition to a plug-in connector for the cigarette lighter jack and a USB port so you can directly plug in phone and laptop recharging cables.

Keep an eye on the wattage rating as well. It makes sense to get an AC inverter rated for up to 1,000 watts. Running anything at that wattage for any period of time will put a fast drain on your batteries, but at least you have the option. In fact, if you run too much power from the batteries they can overheat and possibly explode.

Be aware that AC inverters are rated on peak output and continuous output. The continuous output is the most important measure. Peak output is designed to run for minutes or less while a motor gets up to speed. Unfortunately, some manufacturers only feature the peak output in their product descriptions. Also, make sure you read the inverter instructions carefully before hooking it up.

Volts, Amps, Ohms and What about Watts?

And now for some electrical rocket science. The­ three most basic units in electricity are voltage, current, and resistance. Voltage is measured in volts, current is measured in amps, and resistance is measured in ohms.

The easiest way to understand this is to think of a water pipe. The voltage is the water pressure. The current is the flow rate, and the resistance is caused by the pipe size. In electricity, this is how electric power is delivered over wires, and the total result is measured in wattage or “watts.”

The reason it’s important to understand those basic concepts is because of how they will affect the performance of your improvised power bank. It will affect decisions on what size wires you use to hook things together (the size of the pipe affecting resistance or ohms), how many batteries you’ll need in your bank (affecting the amount of power running from your system in volts), and the overall flow of electricity that results (how much electricity the system will deliver measured in amps).

All of these factors affect what kind of appliance you can power and how many. We’ll get into some equations that can help you calculate usage and the power needed, but it’s a good idea to look at some realistic uses for a car battery power bank.

Realistic Usage:

• Emergency medical equipment like a CPAP.
• Computer, modem, TV, DVD player, radio.
• Recharge most electronics including phones, computers, rechargeable flashlights, battery-powered tools, and other battery-powered/rechargeable electronic devices.
• Small appliances like a coffee maker/grinder, can opener, small microwave oven, blender, food processor, and other appliances with wattage in the low hundreds.
• Power tools like circular saws, drills, jigsaws, and others.

And Possibly…

Larger appliances tend to draw high wattage and do so over the long-term. They would also require a larger power bank with multiple batteries. You’ll really have to do some math and evaluate your priorities if you want to power any of these:

• Refrigerator/freezer (you might want to switch off one or the other to reduce the watts needed).
• Toaster/toaster oven. They may look small, but they draw a lot of wattage.
• Larger microwave ovens.

And Then There’s “Forget about it!”

There are some things that even the largest battery systems would find to be a challenge. This is in the category of some home equipment that runs on 220 volts. That’s why dedicated off-grid homes with even the most sophisticated off-grid power systems use high-efficiency alternatives to many home appliances and equipment.

Here are some to not even consider for an improvised car battery power bank:

• Oven
• Well pump
• Any other 220-volt appliance like an electric furnace
• Water Heater (high wattage)
• Washer and dryer (high wattage)

Setting Up a Car Battery Power Bank

Setting Up A Car Battery Power Bank

Step 1: Linking Batteries

The more batteries you use, the more power you can both store and have available. Each battery has a positive (+) and negative (-) post or connection. There are two ways to connect batteries depending on what you are trying to accomplish.

Connecting Batteries in a Series

Batteries in a Series

To boost voltage, you connect the negative terminal of one battery to the positive terminal of the second battery. This doubles the voltage of two 12 volt batteries to 24 volts. If you did this with a third battery, you would boost the voltage to 36 volts and so on.

We’re going to skip this step and connect batteries “parallel” to maintain 12 volts but boost amperage.

Connecting Batteries in Parallel

Batteries in Parallel

To connect batteries in parallel, connect the positive terminal from the first battery to the positive terminal on the second battery. Do the same with the negative terminals. Now you’ve essentially created a larger 12-volt battery. You maintain 12 volts, but if one car battery is providing 50 amps, the combination is now delivering 100 amps. Adding a third battery would boost the amperage to 150, and so on.

The benefit of boosting amperage is a boost in power. However, this is where the size of your connecting wires is important. Remember the plumbing analogy. A small wire is like a small pipe and the higher the energy or amps, the greater the friction in a small wire.

This could cause the wire to get hot, the plastic coating to melt, and the wire to arc with a spark. A 4 gauge wire is your best bet when boosting amps with a parallel connection. At least a 4 gauge wire is particularly important when you connect your battery bank to your AC inverter.

Step 2: Charging Batteries

When your battery bank is in a parallel series, you can charge the batteries by connecting the positive wire from your charging source to the positive post or terminal, and the negative charging wire to the negative terminal. The charge will travel across the wires to all of the batteries.

Electric Battery Charger

With An Electric Charger

• Flip the switch to 12 V. Some chargers have multiple volt settings so make sure you select the right setting.
• Choose the charge setting. Electric battery chargers vary so consult the instruction manual for proper usage.

Solar/Wind/Crank Charging

• Whole books have been written about natural energy resources. If you are using this form of power to recharge, consult the solar/wind/crank manuals for how to effectively recharge batteries.

Battery Charging Monitor

Monitoring The Charge

• Regardless of how you recharge, you need to monitor your progress. A battery recharging monitor can tell you when you've reached a full charge on your battery bank and track progress.

The 50% Rule

Ideally, lead-acid batteries should never go below a 50% charge. It rarely happens in a car because the car’s alternator automatically recharges the battery every time the car runs. Batteries that are consistently drained below 50% will eventually fail. No one said this would be easy.

Step 3: Calculating and Measuring Charge

This is all about battery capacity, charging capacity, and how much power you’ll draw from your battery reserves to not only power something, but also how long you can power something. Additionally, it's about long you’ll need to recharge your battery bank. Be forewarned, it’s complicated.

When we recharge a dead battery to restart a car, we attach the charger and charge it until it starts. At that point, the car’s alternator takes over to further charge the battery. With a battery bank, there’s no alternator to step in and take over the final recharge while powering the car’s electrical systems.

Here again, you can use your battery recharging monitor to measure some of these factors, but it helps to understand the concept.

There are also meters on a car battery recharger that tell you when the battery is fully charged, but what if you’re using solar or wind power for recharging? Here are some ways to calculate this.

Battery Capacity

Car batteries are rated by something called “reserve current.” It identifies how much power the battery can store in amp hours. The average 12 volt car battery stores 50 amp hours. That means the battery will supply 1 amp for 50 hours.

You should know that reserve current varies across batteries. Deep cycle marine batteries have reserve currents in the 100’s, so take the time to look at the labels on the battery. They should clearly identify the amperage.

The typical amperage draw for small power tools (drill, sander, jigsaw, etc.) is 2 to 8 amps. Larger power tools (router, circular saw, table saw, cutoff saw, etc.), draw 6 to 16 amps. Some tools such as large air compressors may need even more power.

As a result, a power drill running at 2 amps should have sufficient power from a car battery for 25 hours (50 amp hours ÷ 2 amps = 25 hours). But there’s a catch. Car batteries should never be drained below 50% of their reserve current.

We don’t think about it when the battery is connected under the hood because, once again, the alternator steps in to top off the reserve current. But a free-standing battery in a battery bank has no alternator as a backup. That means you really only have 12.5 hours of power for your power drill before your battery dips below 50%.

Some of us may just run that drill until the battery quits and call it a day and recharge the batteries. That’s actually a bad idea. And if you are powering a piece of medical equipment like a CPAP or the simple electronics on a pellet stove in winter, you really want to know how long your battery power will safely last.

Battery Meter

Your best bet is to keep a battery meter attached to your battery bank and keep an eye on the battery charge. When you reach 50%, it's time to recharge.

Charging Capacity

This is about estimating how long it will take to recharge your battery bank. It’s all about the number of watts you are using to charge one battery. A standard plug-in battery charger runs at 100 watts. To determine how long it would take to fully charge a battery with a capacity of 200 amp hours, use this equation:

Number of watts ÷ 12 (volts) = amp hours

Here’s an example using a standard battery charger at 100 watts:

100 watts ÷ 12 = 8.33 hours to charge.

However, charge rates vary. In fact, a slower charge reserves battery life so you’re probably better off just monitoring your charge meter and figuring out your system as you go.

Step 4: Power Conservation

• If you’re not using something, shut it off.
• Use high-efficiency light bulbs if you’re using your power bank for any lighting.
• Take the time to determine the wattage and amps used by anything you’re plugging into your power bank.
• After every use of your power bank, check the charge remaining and recharge if needed.
• The next time you buy an appliance or tool, see if there’s an energy-efficient option.

Step 5: Safety Precautions

Lead-acid batteries are dangerous.

• When recharging, they give off hydrogen, a very flammable and explosive gas. Keep open flames, smoking, or any other fire or spark away from any lead-acid battery.
• They contain sulfuric acid that can burn you and blind you.
• They are filled with lead plates suspended in sulfuric acid that could also give you lead poisoning if the solution contacts the skin.
• Always wear safety protection around lead-acid batteries including gloves and eye protection.
• They are incredibly heavy. Carry them carefully or transport them on a cart or wagon.
• Never recharge in an enclosed living space and, even in a garage, provide some ventilation.

Is a Battery Bank a Good Idea?

Yes, if you take the proper precautions and take the time to understand the dynamics of handling and recharging lead-acid batteries.

If you don’t have the time or the inclination to stop and think about how you’re going to approach a battery bank project, you’re probably better off looking at other alternatives to emergency electric power.

Originally published on Urban Survival Site.

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Do We Need To Worry About Canned Peaches?

Canned Peaches: Do we need to worry about purchasing them now? If you have seen headlines lately about Del Monte™ cutting down hundreds of thousands of peach trees, I don’t blame you for feeling a little rattled. As a family that leans on canned and home-preserved fruit for our food storage, this is exactly the kind of story worth understanding before it turns into a rumor at the next church potluck. So let me walk you through what’s actually happening, and whether it means trouble for the canned peaches sitting on your pantry shelf.

Del Monte Foods™

Del Monte Foods™ filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July of 2025. This is a nearly 140-year-old American company, and the filing came after the company took on heavy debt, struggled with shoppers moving away from canned goods toward fresh produce, and got squeezed by rising costs. By April of 2026, Del Monte™ had permanently closed two of its California canneries, one in Modesto and one in Hughson. Those two plants alone had handled somewhere between 30 and 35 percent of all the cling peaches processed in California.

Here’s the piece that matters most for growers. Clingstone peaches, the variety grown almost entirely for canning, don’t really have a fresh market. When the cannery that buys them shuts its doors, and no replacement buyer steps in for that plant, the farmers who grew that fruit are left holding a crop with essentially nowhere to go.

The Number 420,000

You may have seen the figure 420,000 tossed around alongside the word acres. That’s not quite right, and I want my readers to have the correct picture. The number refers to roughly 420,000 individual peach trees, spread across about 3,000 acres of Central Valley orchards. The United States Department of Agriculture approved up to 9 million dollars in relief funding, matched by another 3 million from the California Canning Peach Association and industry partners, to help farmers remove those trees before this year’s harvest even ripened. The goal is to pull about 50,000 tons of peaches off the market so growers aren’t stuck trying to sell fruit that has no buyer, which USDA estimates will save farmers roughly 30 million dollars in losses they would otherwise absorb.

It’s a hard trade. Removing the trees early protects the farmers who remain in business by preventing a glut that would crash prices further. But it also means a lot of fruit that could have fed people will simply never be picked.

Del Monte™ Isn’t Liquidating Entirely

Here’s the reassuring part. Del Monte™ isn’t liquidating entirely. The company has been selling off pieces of its business to multiple buyers, including Fresh Del Monte™ Produce, B and G Foods, and Pacific Coast Producers, and operations have continued through the restructuring rather than shutting down all at once. Pacific Coast Producers has already stepped in with one-year contracts covering a portion of the fruit that Del Monte can no longer take. So this isn’t a total collapse of the canned peach supply chain; it’s a painful regional restructuring that’s hitting Central Valley growers the hardest.

That said, with roughly a third of California’s cling peach processing capacity gone from the Modesto plant closure, it wouldn’t surprise me to see some tightening in canned peach supply or a bump in prices over the next year or two as the industry finds its new balance. This is exactly why I always encourage families to keep a working stock of canned fruit on hand rather than waiting until shelves look thin.

California Peaches

California grows virtually all of the peaches that get canned in the United States. There’s no other domestic region that fills that gap. But the country doesn’t rely on California alone. Roughly 30 percent of the canned peaches sold in the United States already come from overseas, mostly China and Greece, with Chile also supplying fresh peaches into the market. So even with California’s cling peach capacity shrinking, imported canned peaches will likely fill more of the gap on store shelves in the months ahead.

Buy American

I want to gently flag something here for my readers who care about buying American. A few years back, a Modesto school lunch program was caught serving canned peaches packaged in Thailand that were actually grown in Greece, despite Buy American sourcing rules. If keeping your food dollars with American farmers matters to you the way it does to our family, this Del Monte™ closure is a good reminder to read the fine print on your canned goods. Look for wording like grown in USA or packed in California rather than assuming a familiar brand name guarantees a domestic peach. As more of our canned peach supply shifts overseas, that label check becomes more important, not less.

Frozen Fruit

It helps to remember that canned peach consumption has been declining for decades as families shifted toward fresh and frozen fruit, so this closure didn’t come out of nowhere. It’s the continuation of a trend that’s been building since the 1970s and 1980s, combined with a debt load Del Monte™ took on after overordering supplies during pandemic-era demand spikes. Rising tariffs on the steel used to make cans added even more pressure on the company’s margins. Understanding that broader context helps explain why one company’s bankruptcy could ripple out to affect thousands of acres of orchards.

Check Country of Origin

Here’s what I would add to your preparedness plan. Check the country of origin on your canned peaches at the store, since more imported product will likely appear on shelves this year. If you can peaches yourself, this may be a good year to buy extra fresh peaches directly from local orchards while cling peach growers are still selling what they can, since some of these trees will not produce again. Keep an eye on canned fruit prices generally through the rest of 2026, since a supply shift this size tends to show up gradually rather than all at once. And remember that food storage isn’t about panic buying; it’s about steady, informed stocking so your family is never caught off guard.

Final Word

The Del Monte™ bankruptcy is a reminder that even the most familiar brands in our pantry can shift without warning, and that our food supply is more interconnected than most of us stop to think about on a normal grocery run. This isn’t a reason to panic or to clear the shelves. It’s simply another nudge to keep doing what we already do here, stocking steadily, checking labels, supporting local growers when we can, and trusting that a well-prepared pantry will carry our families through whatever changes come next. May God bless this world, Linda

The post Do We Need To Worry About Canned Peaches? appeared first on Food Storage Moms.

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Zip Ties as a Security and EDC Tool – Beyond the Basic Survival Use List

Most zip tie articles cover the same ground: bundling cables, repairing gear, improvising cordage. All true, and all useful. What almost nobody covers is how zip ties function as an actual security tool, one that professional shipping and logistics industries have relied on for decades to answer one specific question: has anyone gotten into this while I wasn’t watching.

This is about that second use case. If you want the general-purpose survival list, we cover that separately. This one is about building a zip tie kit specifically for security monitoring and quick-release field rigging, the way a serious EDC setup treats them rather than the way a junk drawer does.

Why Zip Ties Belong in a Security Toolkit

A zip tie has one property that makes it a legitimate security device: once ratcheted closed, a standard one-time-use tie cannot be reopened without visibly cutting it or breaking the locking head. That single fact is the entire basis of an industry-standard practice most preppers have never heard of, using numbered zip ties as tamper-evident seals.

Zip Ties as Tamper-Evident Security Seals

This isn’t improvised prepper theory. It’s the same principle behind ISO 17712, the international standard governing mechanical seals for freight containers. According to ISO, the entire purpose of a mechanical seal is to determine whether something has been tampered with, meaning whether there has been unauthorized entry, and the standard exists precisely because a broken or replaced seal is immediate, undeniable evidence of access.

Applied at home or in the field, the concept translates directly: apply a numbered zip tie to something you want to monitor, record the number, and check it on your return. If the number doesn’t match, or the tie has been cut and replaced with a fresh one, you know your security was breached even if nothing appears to be missing.

Practical Places to Use a Security Seal Zip Tie

• Gates or outbuilding doors on a property you don’t check daily
• A gun safe or ammo can, as a quick visual check that it hasn’t been opened since your last visit
• Fuel caps and generator access panels, since siphoning and tampering both require opening a cap or panel
• Cache containers or supply totes stored somewhere other than your main residence
• A vehicle hood or trunk latch when the vehicle is parked somewhere unattended for an extended period

Numbered zip ties made specifically for this purpose exist commercially, but a standard zip tie with a number written on the strap in permanent marker, then photographed before you leave, accomplishes the same thing for a fraction of the cost.

Understanding Zip Tie Specs: What the Numbers Actually Mean

Zip ties are rated by loop tensile strength, tested and classified under an international standard maintained by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association. That standard defines Type 1 products as retaining their full declared strength only in as-received condition, while Type 2 products must retain 100 percent of their rated strength even after heat aging, temperature cycling, and UV exposure, a meaningful difference if a tie is going to sit outside as a security seal for weeks or months.

• Tensile strength: light-duty ties top out around 18 to 50 pounds, while heavy-duty security and industrial ties can exceed 120 pounds. Use the higher-rated ties for anything functioning as a security seal rather than simple bundling
• UV-stabilized (often black) ties resist breaking down in sunlight far longer than untreated ties, critical for anything left outdoors as a long-term seal
• Width and length determine what the tie can physically wrap around. A security seal on a gate hasp needs a longer tie than one sealing a small ammo can latch

Releasable Ties for Quick-Release Field Rigging

Standard zip ties are intentionally one-directional: the ratchet mechanism locks and does not release. For repeated field tasks where you want the security of a zip tie’s grip without destroying it every time you need to adjust or remove it, releasable zip ties solve the problem. They include a small tab at the locking head that, when pressed, disengages the ratchet and lets the tie be reopened and reused.

• Use releasable ties for securing a tarp that you’ll need to reposition, a temporary gear repair you expect to revisit, or any rigging job where cutting and replacing a tie every time would waste your supply
• Keep a small dedicated pouch of releasable ties separate from your one-time-use security seal ties, since mixing them defeats the tamper-evident purpose of the latter
• Releasable ties are generally rated for lower tensile strength than an equivalent one-time-use tie, so don’t substitute them for load-bearing or true security applications

Building a Dedicated Zip Tie Security and EDC Kit

• A range of sizes from small (4 to 6 inch) for gear and latches up to large (12 to 18 inch) for gates and larger equipment
• A supply of high tensile strength, UV-stabilized ties reserved specifically for security seal use, kept separate from your general utility ties
• A handful of releasable ties for rigging tasks you expect to redo
• A permanent marker for numbering seals in the field if you’re not using pre-numbered commercial ones
• A pair of flush-cut pliers, since cutting a security seal cleanly and safely, especially at night or under stress, is much easier with the right tool than a pocket knife
• A small notebook or phone note logging what each numbered seal is protecting and when it was applied

Common Mistakes

• Using a low-strength utility tie as a security seal, which can be cut and its tension faked more easily than a proper high-tensile tie
• Forgetting to log or photograph the seal number, which defeats the entire point of using a numbered seal in the first place
• Leaving a non-UV-rated tie outdoors for months, where sun exposure can make it brittle enough to fail or appear tampered with even if nobody touched it
• Mixing releasable and one-time-use ties in the same storage pouch, creating confusion about which ties are appropriate for which job

A Zip Tie Can Tell You Someone Was There. But Could You Handle What Comes Next?

A numbered zip tie across a gate, fuel cap, or supply cache is a clever way to discover that someone has accessed something you wanted left alone. But that discovery raises a much bigger question: how prepared are you when the systems and conveniences you normally depend on are no longer there to solve the problem?

That is exactly where The Lost Skills of Independence comes in.

This guide is built around the practical, hands-on knowledge that generations before us relied on every day—the kind of skills that can help you repair, improvise, preserve, build, grow, maintain, and solve problems with what you already have available.

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Inside The Lost Skills of Independence, you’ll rediscover traditional know-how designed for people who want to become more capable and less dependent on fragile modern systems.

If this zip-tie security trick is the kind of simple, inexpensive knowledge you want in your preparedness toolbox, The Lost Skills of Independence takes that same mindset much further.

Don’t wait until an emergency to discover which everyday skills have disappeared.

Get The Lost Skills of Independence here and start rebuilding the practical knowledge that can make you harder to surprise, harder to disrupt, and far more capable of taking care of yourself and your household!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can someone defeat a zip tie security seal without it being obvious?

A patient, skilled person with the right tools can sometimes slip a zip tie’s ratchet without cutting it, which is why numbered seals matter. Even a defeated tie that looks intact can be caught if the number doesn’t match your log.

What tensile strength should a security seal zip tie have?

For most home and property applications, a tie rated at 120 pounds or higher offers a meaningful step up from standard light-duty ties, and is harder to defeat by hand without tools.

Are releasable zip ties as strong as standard ones?

Generally not quite as strong, since the release mechanism itself is a point of mechanical weakness compared to a permanently ratcheted tie. Use them for convenience and repeat rigging, not for critical security seals or heavy load-bearing tasks.

Do I need commercially numbered security seals, or can I make my own?

A standard heavy-duty zip tie with a number written in permanent marker and documented with a photo works just as well for personal use as a commercial numbered seal, and costs far less.

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Smart Water Box: An Honest Review

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Smart Water Box: An Honest Review

A while back, I kept running into the same problem every summer. I felt like I didn’t have a reliable water source in case of an emergency. My rain barrels would run dry by the middle of July, the creek would get low, and the only thing left coming out of the hose was treated town water that my seedlings hate. It was clear that I needed to do something…

I started to panic a little bit and this is why I went looking for a way to make my own clean water without depending on the rain that wasn’t falling. That search is how I landed on something called the Smart Water Box. I bought it, I built it, and now I want to tell you what that was like.

What You’re Actually Buying

The Smart Water Box is modeled after the same atmospheric water generator (AWG) technology the military uses in remote deployments where there’s zero access to clean water.

Now, a commercial AWG unit runs anywhere from $1,500 to $3,000 or more depending on the size. That’s a serious investment. This guide gives you the blueprint to build your own version for a fraction of that cost and the guide itself costs less than a large pizza and a couple of drinks on a Friday night.

So, what you get inside:

• Full blueprints for the Smart Water Box.
• Step-by-step written instructions in PDF format.
• A complete video assembly walkthrough.

At first I was disappointed because I wanted the physical book, but after I gave it a second thought, I realized that getting these instructions as a PDF is so much more profitable. In reality, if I were to get this project as a fancy hardcover book, the price would have been higher.

Also, when you buy the physical book, besides paying for shipping, you also have to wait for the book to be delivered. On the other hand, for this digital guide, you get instant access to both the PDF file with the instructions and the video. Just one click and the next second I had everything I needed.

For the whole package I got when I bought the Smart Water Box, I paid a fair price and got the chance to build a device that produces water even when there is an ongoing drought. Then I made my own physical copy. I simply printed the whole thing for $2. That’s all I had to do!

Even though this might look like a simple PDF, keep in mind that these instructions help you create a valuable device that will help you produce water for years. This means you’ll have water on demand no matter what and also this helps you save all the money you would have paid for water bills.

Once you have the plans, you can use them to build this device however you want. This means that if you want to build something bigger that produces even more water, you are free to do that. The freedom it offers you is a real perk. Maybe you have an idea to make it work even better and since you’ve built it with your own hands, you can also be the one modifying it.

How the Smart Water Box Works

How this device works is simple. Imagine it as a dehumidifier. This is the DIY version of a dehumidifier you can build yourself on your homestead. If you’re wondering why not simply buy a dehumidifier and use that, well, this one is designed to be used in your backyard.

The dehumidifiers you find on Amazon or in most stores are meant to be used inside your home. They don’t have cables long enough to reach outside and they are not designed to gather large quantities of water. Because of this, if you were to somehow use them outside, you would need to empty the water bucket once every 2 hours.

Even more, if a storage-bought dehumidifier breaks down and you want to repair it at home, you’ll need to take out a lot of cash from your pocket. Why? Because the big companies that produced them want to take advantage of this and they are the only ones providing replacement parts, so you are forced to buy the parts from them and pay a fortune. 

Now, if you decide to build the Smart Water Box, you are the one building it and you can source the parts from wherever you want. Think of this as a long term investment.

Also, with this one, you have the advantage of being able to upgrade it however you want. If you want to make it produce more water, all you have to do is scale it up, and you’ll have more water. 

Ok, now on how it works:

• The Smart Water Box pulls moisture right out of the air and turns it into liquid water. There’s a little electric part inside that gets cold enough that the humidity in the air condenses on it, the same way a glass of iced tea sweats on a hot summer day.
• The water drips down, collects in an insulated box at the bottom, and comes out a little spigot when you want it.
• A small fan and pump keep the air and water moving so it all works together.
• Since it relies on humidity that’s already in the air, it pulls water straight out of thin air. It doesn’t need rain, a well, or any other water source.

Imagine that sticky humidity that sometimes makes it hard to breathe – why not take advantage of it? This is exactly what this device does. The more humidity in the air, the better.

See it as an extra helper on your homestead. I mentioned that it doesn’t need rain to work, but if it rains and there’s more humidity in the air, the Smart Water Box will simply produce more water. This means that if you already have a rainwater catchment system, this device will add some extra gallons to your reserve.

Depending on the humidity where you live, most people building the standard version see somewhere between half a gallon and two gallons a day, with muggy summer conditions on the high end and dry, cool days on the low end.

The Guide and The Materials List

When I received the guide, I was not expecting much, but to my surprise, this is an 85-page-long guide full of diagrams and images, so that literally ANYONE can build it. The first pages explain the physics behind how the device works. Next, the guide offers you some design examples and also the mounting method and guidelines. 

“The fun part” starts on page 13, where you can find the tool list and also a list of all the materials you need. Regarding the materials, I want you to know that I didn’t need to make any trips to the store because I could find everything I needed on Amazon. This is also what the creators of this device had in mind: to make it as accessible as possible. They are the same folks behind a handful of other homestead build guides I’d seen floating around before, and from what I could find, thousands of people have already put this specific design together. If you ask me, they did a pretty good job. 

Once you are done with the materials, the guide offers you some very detailed drawings of the building instructions. Both the diagrams of the materials you use and the whole set of plans for the step-by-step instructions are structured very well.

I’ll show you an example in the video below:

Most of it is stuff you’d recognize. There’s a good bit of PVC pipe in a few sizes, some elbow and T-shaped fittings, an insulated box, a small water faucet like you’d put on a rain barrel, a little pump, a fan, some copper tubing, clear hose, the cooling parts, and the usual odds and ends like screws, silicone sealant, thread tape, and zip ties. 

What I appreciated is that the list doesn’t just say “PVC pipe” and leave you guessing the rest. Every piece has its exact length and diameter spelled out, with a drawing showing you what it should look like. 

Putting It Together

This is the part where I was most nervous. But everything went out smoothly. I set aside a weekend, figuring it would eat both days. It didn’t. The guide breaks the whole build into clear steps, each one with a drawing and a short comment telling you exactly what you’re doing and why. 

Also, what actually helped me the most with the building part was the included video. In this video below, you can see someone build this device in incredible detail. Imagine it like you’re in the same room with someone building it.

And when I tell you these people were careful to cover everything, I want to tell you that the video is almost two hours long. This is approximately the time it will also take you to build it. 

Does It Actually Work?

Yes, it works. But I want to tell you more about what “works” looked like for me so you can know if this is the right device for you or not. 

I want to start by telling you that this is not a faucet. This is not going to fill a stock tank in an afternoon. But what this DIY device does is steadily produce clean water out of thin air, day after day, with no rain, no well, and no effort. Imagine this as a steady and reliable solution that fits perfectly on any homestead. When there’s nothing producing water, there’s the Smart Water Box. 

Here’s the final result of the project:

Quick note: One thing worth knowing going in – like anything that collects standing water, the box needs a quick clean every few weeks, just a rinse and a wipe down, to keep it from growing anything you don’t want in there. Takes me about five minutes and it’s part of the guide, but I’d rather you hear it now than be surprised later.

On a warm, humid day, it does its best work because there’s more moisture in the air for it to pull from. On a dry, cool day, it slows down. That’s just the nature of pulling water from air, and the more humid your climate, the happier you’ll be with it. 

For me, having a steady trickle of clean water that doesn’t depend on the sky is the whole point. When my barrels run dry in late summer, this keeps my seedlings and my sensitive plants drinking the soft, clean water they actually want instead of the hard town water that builds up salt in my garden beds. 

So, considering how important water is, especially in the summer, I managed to get a very good discount for the Ask a Prepper community. Many of you need to have alternative water solutions on your property and this device is a practical and safe solution.

If you are interested, click on the banner below for a preview of the project + a deal you cannot refuse:

At first I disliked the idea of buying instructions instead of a finished product, but once I opened the guidebook I realized this was a serious device.

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How to Can Beef (3 Tasty Recipes)

Estimated reading time: 28 minutes

Many of us have preserved everything from fruits to vegetables as jams, jellies, and pickles. A lot of us have never had a reason nor the inclination to can beef or any other meat for that matter. But there are good reasons to consider canning meats like beef.

• You’re concerned about the rising price of meats like beef and want to stock up before prices spike higher.
• You want to buy a side of beef to save money but have run out of freezer space.
• You live remotely and off-the-grid and simply don’t have the ability to freeze foods.
• You’re concerned about losing electric power and any frozen foods as a result.
• Beef was on sale and you stocked up but have run out of refrigerator and freezer space to store it.
• You want to add to your long-term food storage and want meat as a menu option in your stockpile.
• You value the time-saving convenience of using canned beef in recipes.
• You’re sick and tired of endlessly chewing on beef jerky.

Whatever your reason for canning beef it’s easy to do and has a surprisingly long shelf life if processed, packaged and stored properly. The USDA recommends 2 to 5 years but some sources state that canned beef can keep for 8 up to 15 years.

It’s All About Pressure Canning

Unlike processing for jams, jellies and pickles, meats like beef need to be pressure canned. A hot-water bath in an open pot won’t work. You need a pressure cooker and the jars will need to be pressure processed from 75 to 90 minutes depending on the size of the jars.

The reason is that meats tend to be alkaline versus acidic. Acidic foods like citrus fruits are naturally resistant to bacteria. Alkaline foods like meats don’t have those natural properties and need both high heat and pressure to effectively kill any pathogens.

It’s all about pH which assigns numbers from 0 to 14 tracking food acidity starting at “0” moving up to the highest alkalinity at “14.”

We’ll cover the details on pressure processing along with additional charts for recommended times, sizes, tips and techniques.

Variations on Beef

We’re going to start simple with canned ground beef. You don’t see it in stores that often but you can actually buy canned ground beef on Amazon. It’s a bit pricey, so that’s all the more reason to can your own.

But it’s not just about canning ground beef. We’ll also explore how to can beef stew and corned beef along with some simple additions that allow you to make taco and chili flavored beef for easy recipe prep.

In fact you can take it a step further and can beef soups, Bolognese spaghetti sauces and other meats like pork, venison and chicken. What’s critical is to remember that canning any kind of meat requires pressure canning.

Pressure Canning 101

There are numerous variations on pressure canners but one of the best has 6 twist-down screws around the top perimeter of the pot. There’s also a pressure gauge and a weighted stopper that fits over a steam release valve.

The seal is metal on metal and applying a thin coating of vegetable oil to the inner rim where the top and the pot meet and seal will make removing the top easier after pressure canning.

Differences Between Pressure Canning and Open Bath Canning

Temperature

The critical difference between pressure canning with a sealed and enclosed pot as opposed to an open, hot water bath pot is temperature. Water boils at 212º Fahrenheit (100º Celsius).

An open pot will not allow the temperature to go much higher. The bubbles and resulting steam will stabilize the boiling water at 212 degrees.

A pressure canner allows the water/steam and internal temperature in the pot to go as high as 250º F. 240° F is the recommended temperature to effectively kill any and all bacteria that may be resident in highly alkaline foods like beef.

Timing, Pressure and Altitude

Another difference is timing. Open water bath canning can be accomplished in as little as 15 minutes for some recipes and a little bit longer for others. Pressure canning requires at least 75 minutes or more to ensure the foods are properly preserved.

The pressure you choose is also critical and can vary depending on the altitude of your location. If you don’t know your altitude, there are apps for your phone that can quickly tell you.

Water Levels

There’s also a question of water levels in open bath canners versus pressure canners. Open bath canning usually recommends that the jars be completely immersed in water for processing. Pressure canning requires a water level that does not cover the jar.

It’s usually recommended that the water in the canner be 2 to 3 inches. The water in a pressure canner is there to produce steam under pressure to achieve high temperature to process the jars.

Here again, individual pressure cookers will have specific directions for water levels and timing for various recipes so don’t make assumptions about the details. Read the instructions for your pressure canner.

Pressure Canning Tips

Use Wide-Mouth Jars for Canning Beef

You can use 1-pint or 1-quart jars to can your beef recipes but make sure they are the wide-mouth jars, not the canning jars with high shoulders typically used for pickling. It’s a lot easier to spoon meat out of a wide-mouth jar especially if your beef is in chunks.

De-Bubble

Any time you add any kind of liquid to chunks of food in a canning jar; bubbles will be trapped in some of the spaces in the jar. Use a knife blade and insert it into the jar and gently move it from side to side especially around the sides of the jar.

If you’ve released a lot of bubbles, adjust the contents by adding more liquid or beef to maintain a 1-inch headspace.

Leave Some Headspace

Headspace is a common canning term that refers to the amount of space at the top of the jar separating the contents from the jar lid. A 1-inch headspace is a standard recommendation for any pressure canned meats.

How to Can Beef

Regardless of what kind of pressure canner you use, read the included directions carefully so you understand the dynamics of how your particular pressure cooker works. They can be dangerous if used improperly so take the time to understand how to manage the pressure and the steam.

Here are some basic tips and cautions from The National Center for Home Food Preservation related to using a pressure cooker or canner for any reason:

1. Make sure the pressure-canner is working properly.

Clean lid gaskets and other parts according to the manufacturer’s directions; make sure all vent pipes are clear and contain no trapped material or mineral deposits. Center the canner over the burner. The burner and range must be level. Your pressure canner can be damaged if the burner puts out too much heat.

In general, do not use on an outdoor LP gas burner or gas range burner over 12,000 BTU’s. Check your manufacturer’s directions for more information about appropriate burners.

Put the rack and hot water into the canner. If the amount of water is not specified with a given food, use enough water so it is 2 to 3 inches high in the canner. Longer processes required more water.

Some specific products (for example, smoked fish) require that you start with even more water in the canner. Always follow the directions with USDA processes for specific foods if they require more water be added to the canner.

For hot packed foods, you can bring the water to 180 degrees F. ahead of time, but be careful not to boil the water or heat it long enough for the depth to decrease. For raw packed foods, the water should only be brought to 140 degrees F. 

2. Place filled jars, fitted with lids and ring bands, on the jar rack in the canner, using a jar lifter.

When moving jars with a jar lifter, make sure the jar lifter is securely positioned below the neck of the jar (below the ring band of the lid). Keep the jar upright at all times. Tilting the jar could cause food to spill into the sealing area of the lid.

3. Fasten the canner lid securely.

Leave the weight off the vent pipe or open the petcock.

4. Turn the heat setting to its highest position.

Heat until the water boils and steam flows freely in a funnel-shape from the open vent pipe or petcock. While maintaining the high heat setting, let the steam flow (exhaust) continuously for 10 minutes.

5. After this venting, or exhausting, of the canner, place the counterweight or weighted gauge on the vent pipe, or close the petcock.

The canner will pressurize during the next 3 to 10 minutes.

6. Start timing the process when the pressure reading on the dial gauge indicates that the recommended pressure has been reached.

For canners without dial gauges, start timing when the weighted gauge begins to jiggle or rock as the manufacturer describes.

7. Regulate the heat under the canner to maintain a steady pressure at, or slightly above, the correct gauge pressure.

One type of weighted gauge should jiggle a certain number of times per minute, while another type should rock slowly throughout the process – check the manufacturer’s directions. 

Loss of pressure at any time can result in under-processing or unsafe food.

Quick and large pressure variations during processing may cause unnecessary liquid losses from jars.

IMPORTANT: If at any time pressure goes below the recommended amount, bring the canner back to pressure and begin the timing of the process over, from the beginning (using the total original process time). This is important for the safety of the food.

8. When the timed process is completed, turn off the heat, remove the canner from the heat (electric burner) if possible, and let the canner cool down naturally.

Lift the canner to move it; do not slide the canner. It is also okay to leave the canner in place after you have turned off the burner. It is better to do so than to let jars inside the canner tilt or tip over if the canner is too heavy to move easily.

While the canner is cooling, it is also de-pressurizing. Do not force cool the canner. Forced cooling may result in food spoilage. Cooling the canner with cold running water or opening the vent pipe before the canner is fully depressurized are types of forced cooling. They will also cause loss of liquid from jars and seal failures. Forced cooling may also warp the canner lid.

Even after a dial gauge canner has cooled until the dial reads zero pounds pressure, be cautious in removing the weight from the vent pipe. Tilt the weight slightly to make sure no steam escapes before pulling it all the way off.

Newer canners will also have a cover lock in the lid or handle that must release after cooling before the lids are twisted off. Do not force the lid open if the cover locks are not released. Manufacturers will provide more detailed instructions for particular models.

Depressurization of older canner models without dial gauges should be timed. Standard size heavy-walled canners require about 30 minutes when loaded with pints and 45 minutes when loaded with quarts. Newer thin-walled canners cool more rapidly and are equipped with vent locks that are designed to open when the pressure is gone.

These canners are depressurized when the piston in the vent lock drops to a normal position. Some of these locks are hidden in handles and cannot be seen; however, the lid will not turn open until the lock is released. 

9. After the canner is completely depressurized, remove the weight from the vent pipe or open the petcock.

Wait 10 minutes; then unfasten the lid and remove it carefully. Lift the lid with the underside away from you so that the steam coming out of the canner does not burn your face.

10. Using a jar lifter, remove the jars one at a time, being careful not to tilt the jars.

Carefully place them directly onto a towel or cake cooling rack, leaving at least one inch of space between the jars during cooling. Avoid placing the jars on a cold surface or in a cold draft.

11. Let the jars sit undisturbed while they cool, from 12 to 24 hours.

Do not tighten ring bands on the lids or push down on the center of the flat metal lid until the jar is completely cooled.

12. Wash jars and lids to remove all residues.

13. Label jars and store in a cool, dry place out of direct light.

14. Dry the canner, lid and gasket.

Take off removable petcocks and safety valves; wash and dry thoroughly. Follow maintenance and storage instructions that come from your canner manufacturer

Raw Beef or Cooked?

We’re going to cover recipes for beef and its variations that are both raw and pre-cooked to some degree before canning and processing. This is usually referred to as either a “raw pack” or a “hot pack” describing whether the meat is raw or cooked.

There are a lot of recipe ideas out there for processing raw beef in the jar because the pressure canning process essentially cooks the beef after it has been canned.

Opinions vary on the quality of canned raw beef but when you can raw beef and cook it in the jar while processing you miss the caramelization that results from browning. There are exceptions including corned beef which tastes fine when canned and processed raw.

Based on the dynamics of pressure processing, even canned raw beef is food safe but taste and tenderness can be sacrificed to some degree when a basic cooking step like browning is skipped. It’s up to you.

NOTE: As a general rule you add 1-pound of beef to a 1-pint jar or 2-pounds to a 1-quart jar. The amounts can be less if you are adding other ingredients like potatoes or carrots to make a stew. Those amounts are indicated in each recipe.

Recipe #1: Canned Ground Beef (makes 1 pint)

This recipe can work for any ground meat. This recipe focuses on ground beef with an 80/20 lean to fat ratio although any ratio can work. This is a hot pack using cooked ground beef.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of 80/20 ground beef
• pickling salt (optional)

Directions:

1. Spray a skillet with cooking spray or heat a small amount of fat or oil in it.
2. Brown the ground meat in the skillet.

3. Drain and transfer the browned meat to a covered bowl or pot to keep hot if you are cooking in batches.
4. Pack meat loosely into half-liter (1 US pint) OR 1 liter (1 US quart) jars.

5. Leave 3 cm (1 inch) headspace.
6. [Optional]: add ½ teaspoon pickling salt to half-liter (1 US pint) jars; 1 teaspoon of pickling salt to 1 liter (1 US quart) jars.

7. Some recipes recommend adding hot water leaving the 1-inch of headspace. Others recommend leaving the cooked ground beef dry in the jar. It’s up to you and most likely depends on how you plan to use your canned ground beef in the future.
8. Wipe jar rims with a paper towel soaked in vinegar to remove any fat that can compromise the seal on the lid.
9. Put lids on.
10. Processing pressure: 10 lbs (69 kPa) weighted gauge, 11 lbs (76 kpa) dial gauge (adjust pressure for your altitude when over 300 meters / 1000 feet.)
11. Processing time: half-liter (US pint) jars for 75 minutes OR 1 liter (US quart) jars for 90 minutes.

Recipe #2: Canned Corned Beef Brisket (makes 2-4 pints)

This recipe uses a slab of corned beef brisket. Many of us have plenty on hand after taking advantage of the sales that usually occur after St. Patrick’s Day. In this instance the corned beef is trimmed, cut and canned raw before processing.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound corned beef per each 1-pint jar
• ½ tsp. spice from the spice packet usually included with a brisket
• Hot water (optional)

Directions:

1. Wash and rinse the corned beef slab.

2. Trim off any excessive fat
3. Cut each slab into ¾” cubes and mix well to distribute the fattier pieces.
4. Pack each jar with approximately 1 pound of cubed corned beef. Leave 1” of headspace.

5. Add the spices from the spice packet

6. (optional) You can add hot water to the jars or allow the corned beef to release its own juices while processing.

Just make sure you keep the 1” of headspace after adding any liquid.

7. Clean off the rim with a paper towel dampened with vinegar.
   • Add lids and rings. Center the lids on the jars. Finger tighten the rings – don’t crank down on them.
   • Add jars to the canner.
   • Place the lid on the canner and tighten according to the instructions.
   • Turn the heat on high.
   • Allow the canner to heat.
   • The temperature should come up to 240-245 degrees F (115 – 118 degrees C).
   • Allow the canner to process for 75 minutes for pint jars, 90 minutes for quarts.
   • After processing, turn off the heat.
   • Allow the canner temperature to come back to 200 degrees F (93 degrees C).
   • Remove the weight and let the canner vent for 10 minutes.
   • Remove the lid and then remove the jars.
   • Allow the jars to cool and come to room temperature. Listen for the “ping” of the lids sealing.
   • Test the lids to make sure they have dimpled, and no longer flex.
   • Once cooled give the jars a quick rinse.
   • Label and date each jar.

Recipe #3: Canned Beef Stew (makes eight 1-pint jars)

Canned beef stew is a treat for many of us and is surprisingly easy to make. We recommend you brown the beef cubes but you can add carrots, onions and potatoes raw and allow the processing to cook everything.

A thick gravy is a traditional part of beef stew and you can either add your own gravy ingredients or add a ½ packet of powdered beef gravy in an envelope to the mix before processing.

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds of stewing beef cut into ¾-inch chunks
• 1 tablespoon of oil

• 4 cups of potatoes cut into in ½-inch cubes
• 2 cups of carrots sliced into circles
• 1 cup of onions coarsely chopped
• 1 cup of celery coarsely chopped
• Beef stew seasoning packets in envelopes or:
  • 2 teaspoons of seasoned salt
  • 2 teaspoons of pepper
  • 1 tablespoon of corn starch
• Enough hot water to fill the jars to within 1-inch of the rim after you’ve added all of the other ingredients

Directions:

1. Cut the stewing beef into chunks and brown in the oil in batches and keep warm in a covered bowl
2. Cut up all of the vegetables as indicated and rinse well in a colander or strainer

3. Add a ½ cup of the browned beef chunks to a 1-pint jar
4. Top with 1/8 cup of chopped onions
5. Top with ½ cup of cubed potatoes
6. Top again with ¼ cup of sliced carrots

7. Blend all of the seasonings and corn starch in a bowl
8. Top each one of the eight 1-pint jars with 1 teaspoon of the blended seasoning mix or a teaspoon of beef stew seasoning mix in an envelope.

9. Add boiling water to within 1-inch of the rim

10. Wipe the rims with a paper towel soaked in vinegar
11. Seal the lids hand tight
12. Add jars to the canner.
13. Place the lid on the canner and tighten according to the instructions.
14. Turn the heat on high.
15. Allow the canner to heat.
16. The temperature should come up to 240-245 degrees F (115 – 118 degrees C).
17. Allow the canner to process for 75 minutes for pint jars.
18. After processing, turn off the heat.
19. Allow the canner temperature to come back to 200 degrees F (93 degrees C).
20. Remove the weight and let the canner vent for 10 minutes.
21. Remove the lid and then remove the jars.
22. Allow the jars to cool and come to room temperature. Listen for the “ping” of the lids sealing.
23. Test the lids to make sure they have dimpled, and no longer flex.
24. Once cooled, remove the rings, and give the jars a quick rinse.
25. Label and date each jar.

Variations: Taco Beef/Chili Beef/Bolognese Spaghetti Sauce

At this point, you get the idea and there are ways to customize your canned beef to accommodate a number of other recipes. Some only require the addition of seasoning to the beef and the spaghetti meat sauce requires a little bit of time to prepare.

Here’s a brief rundown of how to create canned beef variations:

Canned Taco Beef

Follow the directions for canning ground beef for a 1-pint jar but add 2 teaspoons of taco seasoning mix from an envelope to the top of the meat in the jar or make your own taco seasoning:

• 1 tablespoon chili powder 
• 1 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon corn starch
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon ground paprika
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• Hot water (optional)

Blend all of the spices in a bowl and add 1 teaspoon to the top of the ground beef in each of your canning jars before processing. You can add water as an option up to 1-inch from the top of the jar before processing.

Canned Chili Beef

This is similar to the canned taco beef recipe with one option. You can either use ground beef from the canned ground beef recipe or chunks of beef from the canned beef stew recipe.

Just pack the meat into a 1-pint jar and top with either 2 teaspoons of chili seasoning mix from an envelope of top with 1-teaspoon of the following:

• 1 tablespoon chili powder 
• 1 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon corn starch
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• Hot water (optional)

Here again, you can add hot water to the jar after filling and spicing if you like. It’s all a matter of personal taste and how you plan to use the canned chili beef. Just make sure you keep the 1-inch head space.

Bolognese Spaghetti Sauce (makes eight 1-pint jars)

Bolognese is the traditional designation for a spaghetti sauce made with meat, usually beef. You can use your own meat based spaghetti sauce or any other meat based recipe and can it using the process and the steps we’ve outlined.

The reason it’s worth pressure canning a beef-based spaghetti sauce is that it’s so versatile for a range of recipes, and like beef stew, provides a high nutrient density across a range of ingredients.

Here’s the basic recipe. Follow the previous steps for pressure canning depending on the size of your jars.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of ground beef

• 1 onion diced
• 2 bell peppers diced
• 2 cups of sliced mushrooms
• 2 cups celery diced
• 4 cloves of garlic finely diced

• 1 32-ounce can of diced tomatoes
• 4 cups of tomato sauce
• 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon thyme

Directions:

(These are the directions for filling one 1-pint jar using portions of the all of the ingredients described above.)

1. Brown the ground beef, drain and fill a 1-pint jar half full with browned beef.

2. Add the ¼ cup of onions, ½ a diced garlic clove, ¼ cup of mushrooms chopped and ¼ cup of diced bell peppers to the jar.

3. Top with tomato sauce leaving 1-inch of headspace.

4. Follow the previous directions for pressure canning.

Canned Beef Storage

The ideal environment for storing any canned food is in a cool, dark space. Basements offer the best opportunities but a pantry will do. Root cellars are always an option if you have one.

Once you open a jar of canned beef in any form you should eat it immediately. You can keep it in the refrigerator for as long as you would keep any leftover meat. Keep it in the jar if possible.

When Canned Beef Goes Bad

Home canning anything comes with its share of risks. The basic tests for assessing anything that has been home canned regardless of the method is:

• When opening a sealed jar, a light “whoosh” is expected. A lot of pressure or even a surprising amount of pressure releasing on opening, on the other hand, is not a good sign. Gas may have built up inside the jar due to bacterial activity. Remember to throw out any can or jar that does this if something doesn’t seem right.
• Bubbles usually indicate fermentation, a bacterial process that can be perfectly fine if done deliberately and under certain conditions. It’s also great for pickles, wine, beer, and other dishes.
• In low-oxygen environments like canned food, botulism and other dangerous bacteria can survive (and even thrive).
• The liquid in the can is usually straightforward. As a result, if the liquid is cloudy, it could indicate that the food has gone wrong.
• Any mold on the underside of a lid indicates that the food should be discarded. Mold on the underside of a lid, regardless of color, is a bad sign, and the food in that can, or jar should not be consumed.
• A lid that can be pushed up and down is not securely closed. When you first can something, the lid gets sucked down as the jar cools. As a result, depressing a lid and popping it back up should not be possible, which means it didn’t close properly. As a result, unopened and unrefrigerated jars are unsafe to consume.
• If there are food traces on the outside of the container, it most likely leaked from the inside. If there is a leak, the seal is broken, and the food is potentially dangerous. Throw it out if you’re not sure.
• If the contents of a can or jar smell “off” or unusual, or otherwise differ from what you remember, the food has most likely gone bad. Throw it out if it doesn’t pass the sniff test.

There’s No Limit

Once you understand the fundamental dynamics of pressure canning you can apply it a range of beef cuts and not only other meats but meat and even seafood variations like chicken stews, canned salmon and even bouillabaisse la Marseille.

In the short term, canning basic cuts of beef can give you added food security in a time when meat prices are soaring and disasters seem to surround us. It’s a valuable skill to acquire and practice and just makes sense on so many levels.

Originally published on Homestead Survival Site.

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