Friday, September 22, 2023
A Little Reality in Home Defense
I must confess, I get a bit concerned when I read what some preppers say about home and personal defense. I think we’ve all seen a few too many post-apocalyptic movies, where there’s no law and order, warlords’ rule their little territories, and only the fastest on the draw survive.
Can things get that bad? Yes, it has happened in other parts of the world and we’re not immune. But the chances of something like that actually happening here are slim, mostly because there are so many privately owned firearms. The criminal element where those warlords would come out of might have guns and the willingness to use them; but objective reality would force them to recognize that they aren’t the only ones with guns.
In a very real sense, a post-disaster world would be much like the Old West. Not the Old West of Hollywood, dominated by fast-draw gunslingers seeking to build their reputation. Not by criminals robbing the bank or the stagecoach. Those things are inventions of the movie industry. There is no recorded case of the fast-draw being used in the Old West and the crime rate was very low.
Thursday, September 21, 2023
Pressure Canning 101: The Most Comprehensive Guide
By Linda Loosli
Some people might be intimidated by the idea of pressure canning. It seems complicated and risky. But it’s not! In fact, it’s a really simple process that is actually quite safe if you follow the proper processes. If you’ve been curious about pressure canning, or if you’ve tried it before and had a bad experience, this pressure canning 101 comprehensive guide is for you.
I always follow the guidelines from the National Center for Home Food Preservation. They’ve done extensive testing to determine the proper time that acidic foods need to be processed to make the foods safe for storage. Mark and I both took the classes to receive our Master Canner Preserver Certificates.
If you have a state extension service office in your city or county, the cost for training is minimal, and as I remember, the classes took 12 weeks. It was so fun, we met other canners who were beginners through experts who just needed to learn the updated techniques. Many of our food products have changed since grandma was canning, so most of us need to up our skills.