This week's video is about how to make the original soda—the one Americans used to drink before we had Coke and Pepsi and a million other sodas. It's called a shrub, and it’s a delicious probiotic drink that was very popular in the 1700s and early 1800s. Vinegar drinks are also self-preserving, meaning they can sit out without refrigeration for a very long period of time.
What Exactly Is a Shrub?
The name “shrub” comes from the Arabic word “sharab,” which simply means “drink.” Before refrigerators were around, people needed a way to keep fruit from going to waste at the end of the growing season. Vinegar was one of the best preservatives they had, so they would soak their fruit in vinegar and sweeten it to make a tangy syrup that would last for months.
The syrup was then mixed with water to make a refreshing drink, and it was especially popular with farmers working out in the fields on hot summer days. If that sounds familiar, it's because shrub is a close cousin of switchel, another old-fashioned vinegar drink.
Shrubs eventually fell out of style once refrigeration and store-bought sodas came along, but they've been making a big comeback in recent years. You'll even find them on the menu at some fancy cocktail bars.
This video by Off Grid with Doug and Stacy dives into how to make a shrub, which can also be included as an ingredient in many other homemade drinks including sports drinks, cocktails, mocktails, energy drinks, and homemade sodas.
Making a shrub is incredibly easy to do. First, you will need to gather the following ingredients and items.
Ingredients
1 cup of fresh fruit (berries will be the best bet for this recipe)
1 cup of apple cider vinegar (preferably raw)
1 cup of honey (preferably raw)
Jar (quart size)
Spoon
Strainer
Pitcher
Drinking Glass
Ice
Water
A few notes on the ingredients:
Fruit: Berries are the easiest to work with because they mash up so nicely, but you can use just about any fruit you like. Peaches, plums, cherries, apples, and pears all make wonderful shrubs. This is also a great way to use up fruit that's a little too ripe to eat fresh.
Vinegar: Raw apple cider vinegar is the best choice because it contains the “mother,” which is the cloudy stuff you see floating at the bottom of the bottle. The mother is made up of beneficial bacteria and is where the probiotic benefits of this drink come from. Raw honey adds some good stuff too. If you want to experiment, you can also try white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, or a splash of balsamic vinegar for a different flavor.
Honey: Honey can be expensive, so don't worry if you don't have much of it on hand. Plain white sugar works just fine, and it's actually what most people used to make shrubs back in the day. Brown sugar or maple syrup will also work and give your shrub a richer taste. Just keep in mind that honey should never be given to babies under one year old.
Once you have accumulated each of these ingredients, follow these steps.
Instructions
Mash the fruit together and then place them together in a jar. (A fork or potato masher works great for this.)
Add vinegar and honey to the jar.
Use the spoon to mix all of the ingredients together until the honey is completely dissolved.
Close the jar with a lid.
Shake the jar vigorously. For an even stronger flavor, you can let the jar sit in the refrigerator for a day or two, giving it a shake every so often.
Remove the lid from the jar and then pour the mixture through a strainer and into a pitcher. Press down on the fruit with your spoon to get out as much juice as you can.
Now pour the strained mixture back into your jar.
Place ice into a drinking glass.
Take out one-quarter of the mixture from the jar and pour it into a drinking glass.
Add some water into the mixture in the glass. (Sparkling water works great too if you want something that tastes more like soda.)
Stir the mixture together again. Give it a taste and add more water if it's too strong.
That’s it! By following the above steps you will have high quality and delicious shrub, and it should be very similar to the same shrub drink that our ancestors used to drink and enjoy hundreds of years ago.
Flavor Ideas to Try
Once you've made your first batch, have some fun experimenting with different combinations. You can add fresh herbs or spices to the jar along with the fruit. Here are a few tasty ideas to get you started:
Strawberry and basil
Blackberry and sage
Blueberry and lemon peel
Peach and fresh ginger
Apple and cinnamon
Raspberry and mint
How to Store Your Shrub
The vinegar and honey help preserve your shrub, but many people like to keep it in the refrigerator anyway because it helps the fruity flavor stay fresh longer. Store it in a clean jar with a tight-fitting lid. If you ever notice mold or a strange smell, toss it out and make a new batch.
Other Ways to Use Shrub
Shrub isn't just for drinking! Because it's basically a fruity, sweetened vinegar, you can use it in the kitchen in all sorts of ways. Try whisking it with a little olive oil for a simple salad dressing, using it as a marinade for chicken or pork, or drizzling a berry shrub over vanilla ice cream for a sweet and tangy treat.
One quick tip: vinegar is acidic, which can be hard on your tooth enamel over time. If you drink shrub often, try sipping it through a straw or rinsing your mouth with plain water afterward.
For a more detailed discussion and to see how it's done, check out the video below.
Today I’m sharing 50 sandwich ideas for your homemade bread. Most of them use ingredients you probably already have on hand, and many are perfect for using up leftovers so nothing goes to waste.
There’s something special about pulling a warm loaf of bread out of the oven. The whole house smells wonderful, the kids come running, and for a moment everything feels right with the world. But once that first slice with butter is gone, the next question is always the same. What should we make with the rest of it? I wish I could have everyone come over to my house and show them how easy it is to make bread. The trick is FRESH ingredients.
I love baking bread at home because it stretches the grocery budget, uses simple pantry staples like flour, yeast, salt, and water, and gives my family something far better than most store-bought loaves. Homemade bread is also a wonderful skill for anyone who cares about food storage and self-reliance. If you keep wheat, flour, and yeast in your pantry, you can feed your family well even when store shelves are bare. Please note: I store my Dough Enhancer and SAF Yeast in the refrigerator, never in the pantry. Surplus goes in the freezer. I only use a dough enhancer in my whole-wheat bread, dinner rolls, and cinnamon rolls. Bread Maker Machine, Dough Scraper, Bread Bags with ties.
Why We Should Learn To Make Bread
Making homemade bread is one of the most valuable skills a family can learn. This saves money, since a few cups of flour, a little yeast, salt, and water cost far less than a bakery loaf. It gives you control over what goes into your food, with no preservatives or ingredients you can’t pronounce. It also builds self-reliance, because if you keep wheat, flour, and yeast in your food storage inventory, you can still feed your family fresh bread during a job loss, a winter storm, or an empty grocery store shelf. Just as important, bread making brings families together. Children love to knead the dough, watch it rise, and share that first warm slice. Our grandmothers knew these things well, and passing this simple skill on to the next generation is a gift that’ll bless your family for years to come.
Why Homemade Bread Makes Better Sandwiches
Homemade bread has more flavor, a better texture, and no long list of preservatives. A sturdy homemade loaf holds up to hearty fillings without falling apart, and it toasts beautifully. It’s also much cheaper. A basic loaf costs well under a dollar or two to make at home, depending on your ingredients, while a quality bakery loaf can cost five dollars or more.
Tips for Slicing and Storing Homemade Bread
Let your bread cool completely before slicing, or it’ll squish and turn gummy. A serrated bread knife works best. Store your loaf in a bread box or a paper bag for a day or two, or wrap it tightly and keep it in a plastic bag. If you won’t use it within three days, slice it and freeze it so you can pull out just what you need. Day-old bread is perfect for toasted sandwiches, grilled cheese, and French toast.
Classic Lunchbox Sandwiches
Peanut Butter and Jelly. The old faithful. Use homemade jam if you have it, and your kids will think you’re a superhero.
Peanut Butter and Banana. Slice a ripe banana over peanut butter and drizzle with honey for a filling, inexpensive lunch.
Ham and Cheese. A few slices of ham, your favorite cheese, and a swipe of mustard. Simple and always a winner.
Turkey and Swiss. Add lettuce and a little mayonnaise for a classic deli-style sandwich at home.
Bologna and Cheese. A nostalgic, budget-friendly favorite. Fry the bologna for an extra treat.
Egg Salad. Hard-boiled eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and pepper. Eggs are one of the most affordable proteins around.
Tuna Salad. Canned tuna is a food storage staple. Mix it with mayonnaise, chopped celery, and a little pickle relish.
Chicken Salad. Use leftover or canned chicken with mayonnaise, grapes or celery, and a sprinkle of pepper.
Cream Cheese and Cucumber. Light, cool, and refreshing. Cut into small squares for a tea party lunch with the grandkids.
Honey Butter. Soft butter whipped with honey on fresh bread. Sometimes the simplest things are the best.
Warm and Toasty Sandwiches
Classic Grilled Cheese. Butter the outside of your bread and grill with cheddar or American cheese until golden. Pair it with tomato soup.
Grilled Ham and Cheese. Add ham to your grilled cheese for a heartier meal.
Tuna Melt. Spread tuna salad on bread, top with cheese, and grill or broil until bubbly.
Patty Melt. A ground beef patty with grilled onions and Swiss cheese, toasted on buttered bread.
Grilled Peanut Butter and Jelly. Grill it like a grilled cheese. The warm, melty center is a family favorite.
Pizza Grilled Cheese. Add pepperoni, a spoonful of pizza sauce, and mozzarella. Serve with extra sauce for dipping.
Apple and Cheddar Melt. Thin apple slices and sharp cheddar make a sweet-and-savory combination.
Croque Monsieur. The French version of a ham and cheese, topped with a simple white sauce and broiled.
Monte Cristo. Ham, turkey, and cheese dipped in egg and cooked like French toast. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with jam.
Open-Faced Cheese Toast. Top a thick slice of bread with shredded cheese and broil. Quick, cheap, and comforting.
Hearty Dinner Sandwiches
Sloppy Joes. Ground beef simmered in a tangy tomato sauce, spooned onto thick slices of toasted bread.
Meatloaf Sandwich. Leftover meatloaf with ketchup is one of life’s greatest pleasures.
Hot Roast Beef. Leftover roast on bread, smothered in hot gravy. Serve with a fork.
Pulled Pork. Slow-cooked pork with barbecue sauce, topped with a scoop of coleslaw.
Shredded Chicken Barbecue. Stretch one pot of chicken into several meals with this easy option.
Hot Turkey. Perfect for after the holidays. Leftover turkey, gravy, and a side of cranberry sauce.
Meatball Sub. Use frozen or homemade meatballs with marinara and mozzarella on sliced bread.
Chicken Parmesan. Breaded chicken with marinara and melted cheese. Leftover chicken nuggets work in a pinch.
French Dip. Thin-sliced roast beef with a small bowl of beef broth for dipping.
Breakfast Sandwiches
Egg and Cheese. A fried or scrambled egg with a slice of cheese. Ready in five minutes.
Bacon, Egg, and Cheese. The classic diner breakfast made at home for a fraction of the price.
Sausage and Egg. Use a breakfast sausage patty for a filling start to the day.
French Toast Sandwich. Two slices of French toast with peanut butter or cream cheese, topped with berries in the middle.
Fried Egg and Tomato. A summer garden favorite with salt, pepper, and a little mayonnaise.
Cinnamon Toast. Butter, cinnamon, and sugar on toasted bread. Fold it over for little hands.
Vegetarian and Garden Sandwiches
Tomato Sandwich. Thick garden tomato slices, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper. A true taste of summer.
Veggie and Hummus. Spread hummus and pile on cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, and sprouts.
Caprese. Tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil, and a drizzle of oil and vinegar.
Avocado Toast Sandwich. Mashed avocado with a squeeze of lemon, salt, and a sliced egg.
Black Bean Burger. Make patties from canned black beans, breadcrumbs, and spices. Another great food storage meal.
Grilled Vegetable. Use zucchini, peppers, and onions from the garden with a little cheese.
Leftover and Pantry Sandwiches
BLT. Bacon, lettuce, and tomato. Cook extra bacon at breakfast and save it for lunch.
Club Sandwich. Three slices of bread layered with turkey, ham, bacon, lettuce, and tomato.
Leftover Steak. Thin-sliced steak with horseradish sauce or steak sauce.
Spam and Egg. A pantry classic. Fry the Spam until crispy and add a fried egg.
Canned Chicken Melt. Mix canned chicken with mayonnaise and cheese, then grill.
Deviled Ham. Canned deviled ham spread is a shelf-stable lunch your grandparents probably loved.
Baked Bean Toast. Warm canned baked beans spooned over buttered toast, a British favorite.
Sweet Treat Sandwich. Cream cheese, a little sugar, and sliced strawberries, or chocolate spread with banana for a special dessert.
Budget Tips for Sandwich Night
Plan a sandwich night once a week to use up leftovers before they go bad. Buy cheese in blocks and slice it yourself, since it’s usually cheaper than pre-sliced. Cook a large roast, ham, or whole chicken on the weekend and use it for sandwiches all week. Make your own spreads like honey butter, garlic mayonnaise, or flavored cream cheese. Keep canned tuna, chicken, Spam, and peanut butter in your food storage so you always have a sandwich option on hand.
And don’t forget the heels of the loaf. Those end pieces make wonderful toast, bread pudding, croutons, or breadcrumbs. Nothing has to go to waste.
No-Fail White Bread: 2 Loaves (Must Use Fresh Ingredients)
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 27 minutesminutes
Rising Time 1 hourhour
Total Time 1 hourhour42 minutesminutes
Servings 2one-pound loaves
Author Linda Loosli
Ingredients
1cupwarm milk
2tsp. SAF instant yeast
2tsp.dough enhancer (optional)
1egg
1/8cupoil-I use olive oil
3/4tsp.sea salt
1/4cupsugar
1/4cupwarm water
3 to 3-1/2cupswhite bread flour
Instructions
I start with a Bosch bread mixer, although you could make this in a bowl. I put the yeast, warm water, salt, oil, and sugar in the bowl.
I then add the eggs and lightly mix them in the Bosch so the egg does not “cook”.
Then I slowly add the warm milk and flour. I continue to add flour until the bread dough pulls away from the sides of the Bosch bowl.
Then knead the dough for about 7-8 minutes. I place the dough in a greased bowl and cover it with plastic wrap.
Let the dough rise until it's doubled in size. Then punch down the dough, make it into loaves, and place these in greased pans (this recipe makes two 1-pound loaves).
I let it rise once again (using the same plastic wrap) until doubled in size.
Remove the plastic wrap and bake them at 350°F (176°C) for 27-30 minutes. I lightly butter the tops of each loaf after baking and remove them from the pans.
Notes
HOW TO MAKE SCONES aka Fry Bread
I start with a very large skillet and heat the oil one to two inches deep until I can spritz a few drops of water into the oil ever so carefully; then I know it’s hot enough.
2. You will start with one ball of dough about the size of a tennis ball, maybe a little smaller, but bigger than a golf ball. 3. Then mash the dough with the palm of your hand on a greased countertop and use a rolling pin to roll the dough from the center out. You keep rolling from the center out until they are very thin. 4. Then place them in the hot oil really carefully because the oil will splatter. Here’s the deal: yes, it’s a big mess, but I’m talking about memories right now. 5. Adults and kids always love hot scones. Fry them until golden brown, then turn them over and cook the other side until golden brown too.
Add the ingredients listed to the Baking Pan in the order listed. Press the COURSE button and select Course No. 11 (for DOUGH ONLY), and press the START button. After it stops, remove the dough from the Dough Bread Pan. Use a dough scraper to cut the dough into two equal-sized pieces for the two loaves. I use bread pans this size: 7.75 x 3.75 x 2.5 Inches. Grease your bread pans, place the dough in them, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until double the size. Remove the plastic wrap. Preheat your oven to 350°F (176°C). Bake for 28-30 minutes or until baked through. PLEASE CHECK YOUR BREAD MAKER BRAND'S INSTRUCTIONS.
Step-By-Step Instructions (Additional Help)
1. Set the Baking Pan into the Main Body and close the lid.2. Insert the Power Plug into an electrical outlet.3. Press the "COURSE" UP button until it reaches Course #11 (for DOUGH ONLY). This is what I did today. 4. Push the Start button. 5. You'll also see the word "Rest" next to #11, telling you that it is in the "rest" phase as the unit warms up the ingredients. 6. This "rest" phase should last about 20-25 minutes.7. You'll hear the unit move into the "knead" phase as the kneading blades start spinning to knead the dough. 8. The screen will change from "rest" to "knead" during this period.9. After a few minutes, the unit will make a buzzing sound, and you'll notice the word "add" flashing on the screen. This is the appropriate time to add any ingredients you want to your dough, such as nuts or raisins. You can open the lid, add the desired additional ingredients, and close it without changing any settings.10. Once the knead phase is complete, you'll see the word "rise" on the screen next to #11. This is the phase where the yeast kicks in and does its thing.11. When there are approximately 30 minutes remaining in the dough-making process, you'll see the time setting change from the estimated completion time to 30 minutes, which means there is that much time remaining. This clock setting will change in 1-minute increments until the dough-making phase is finished. When I could see the dough was ready through the glass opening in the lid, I skipped this step. I turned off the machine and unplugged it.12. After it stops, you remove the dough from the Dough Bread Pan.13. Use a dough scraper to cut the dough into two equal sizes and then mold them into two loaves of bread. (I use bread pans this size: 7.75 x 3.75 x 2.5 Inches.)14. Place the loaves into your greased bread pans, cover with plastic wrap. and let double in size. 15. Remove the plastic wrap.16. Preheat your conventional oven to 350°F 176°C and bake for 28-30 minutes or until baked through.PLEASE CHECK YOUR BREAD MAKER BRAND'S INSTRUCTIONS.
A fresh loaf of homemade bread is more than a meal. It’s a blessing we can share with the people we love. Whether you’re packing lunches, feeding a hungry crowd on a busy weeknight, or stretching your grocery budget, these 50 sandwich ideas will help you make the most of every slice. Gather your family around the table, say a little prayer of thanks, and enjoy the simple goodness of food made by your own hands. What’s your family’s favorite sandwich? I’d love to hear about it. May God bless this world, Linda
A dead car battery is a minor annoyance on a normal Tuesday. In a blizzard, an evacuation, or a long grid-down stretch, it can strand your family and your bug-out plan in the driveway.
Knowing how to recharge an auto battery properly, with or without grid power, is a core prepper skill. This guide covers how to test the battery first, how to charge it safely with a plug-in charger, how jump-starting really works, and how to keep a vehicle battery alive off-grid with solar or a generator.
First, Find Out If the Battery Is Really the Problem
Before you hook anything up, confirm the battery is actually discharged and not just suffering from a loose or corroded connection. Clicking, slow cranking, and dim dash lights all point to low voltage, but a bad terminal connection can produce the same symptoms.
Test It With a Multimeter
A cheap digital multimeter like the AstroAI digital multimeter tells you more than any guesswork. Set it to DC volts, touch red to the positive terminal and black to the negative, and read the number with the engine and all accessories off.
Use these rough resting-voltage guides for a standard flooded 12-volt battery:
6 volts or higher: fully charged.
About 12.4 volts: roughly 75 percent charged.
About 12.2 volts: roughly half charged, and time to recharge.
About 12.0 volts: roughly 25 percent charged.
Below about 11.9 volts: effectively discharged.
AGM batteries sit slightly higher when full, so check the label or manual if yours is an AGM or lithium starter battery.
Clean the Terminals Before Charging
White or green crust on the posts blocks current in both directions. Disconnect the negative cable first, scrub the posts and clamps with a battery terminal cleaning brush and a baking soda and water paste, rinse, dry, and reconnect positive first.
Do not charge or jump a battery that is cracked, bulging, leaking, or giving off a rotten-egg smell. Those are signs of internal damage, and charging a damaged battery is how explosions happen.
Never charge a frozen battery either. Mississippi State University’s safety team says to let the battery warm to above 32°F before charging, and a battery with a bulged or cracked case from freezing should be replaced, not revived.
Battery Safety: The Rules That Keep You in One Piece
Gear up before you start. Wear splash-proof safety goggles and chemical-resistant gloves, and take off rings, watches, and metal bracelets that could bridge the terminals.
If acid gets in your eyes, the same OSHA guidance says to flush with clean water for 15 minutes and get medical attention right away. Keep a jug of clean water and a box of baking soda near your charging spot to rinse skin and neutralize spills.
Method 1: Recharge With a Plug-In Battery Charger
A dedicated battery charger is the best way to recharge an auto battery. It puts the charge back at a controlled rate, and a modern smart charger tapers off automatically when the battery is full.
Choosing a Charger
Look for a smart or automatic charger with modes for your battery type: standard flooded, AGM, and lithium if your vehicle uses one. A unit like the NOCO Genius10 or Schumacher SC1281 can both recharge a flat battery and maintain it long term.
Charging current matters. A 2-amp setting is gentle and suits maintenance, while a 10-amp setting refills a flat battery in a reasonable time without the heat and gassing of very high-amp charging.
Step-by-Step Charging
Park in a well-ventilated spot, turn the ignition and all accessories off, and put on goggles and gloves.
Check the manual. Some vehicles want the battery charged in place, and some recommend disconnecting the negative cable first.
With the charger unplugged and switched off, connect the red clamp to the positive (+) terminal, then the black clamp to the negative (-) terminal or a bare-metal ground point the manual specifies.
Set the charger for 12 volts and the correct battery type, then plug it in and switch it on.
Check on it periodically. Stop if the battery gets hot to the touch, bubbles hard, or spits electrolyte.
When the charger shows full, switch it off and unplug it before removing the clamps, black first, then red.
OSHA’s guidance adds that if a battery gets hot or electrolyte comes out of the vents, you should turn the charger off and restart at a lower charging rate. On flooded batteries with removable caps, top the cells up with distilled water only after charging, not before.
How Long Does It Take?
A quick rule of thumb: divide the amp-hours you need to replace by the charger’s amp output, then add about 20 percent for charging losses. A 60 amp-hour battery at half charge needs about 30 amp-hours back, which is roughly three to four hours at 10 amps or more than 15 hours at 2 amps.
Smart chargers slow down near the end, so the last 10 to 20 percent always takes longer. If your charger refuses to start on a deeply drained battery, check the manual for a manual or “force” mode before assuming the battery is dead.
Method 2: Jump-Start and Drive
Jump-starting gets the engine running, but it does not fully recharge an auto battery. The alternator then has to do the work, and most are built to keep a healthy battery topped up, not to refill a flat one on a 15-minute drive.
If you jump a dead battery, follow up with a proper charger as soon as you can. Otherwise you may be jumping it again tomorrow morning.
The Correct Jumper Cable Sequence
Use heavy 4-gauge jumper cables long enough to reach between vehicles without them touching. Make sure both batteries are the same voltage before you start.
Red clamp to the positive (+) terminal of the dead battery.
Other red clamp to the positive (+) terminal of the good battery.
Black clamp to the negative (-) terminal of the good battery.
Last black clamp to clean, unpainted metal on the dead vehicle’s engine or frame, away from the battery.
That last connection matters most. A U.S. Department of Energy safety bulletin on battery booster explosions stresses making the final connection to a bare-metal ground instead of the battery terminal, and removing that ground first when you disconnect.
The same bulletin warns that hooking a 24-volt system to a 12-volt battery can overcharge it fast enough to break the cell seals. Match voltages every time, especially around trucks, tractors, and heavy equipment.
Portable Jump Starters
A lithium jump starter in the glovebox means you do not need a second vehicle. Brand-name units like the NOCO Boost GB40 are compact and many also charge phones.
Remember that a jump starter needs charging too. Top it off every few months and after every use, or it will be as dead as your car battery when you need it.
Method 3: Recharging Off-Grid When the Power Is Out
This is where preppers separate from everyone else. If the grid is down for days, you need a way to recharge an auto battery without a wall outlet.
Solar Panel and Charge Controller
Solar is the most sustainable option. A 100-watt panel like the Renogy 100W 12V solar panel paired with a controller such as the Victron SmartSolar MPPT 75/15 can meaningfully recharge a car battery over a day or two of good sun.
Those small 5 to 10-watt dashboard solar trickle chargers are maintainers, not rechargers. They offset slow drain on a parked vehicle, but they will not bring a flat battery back in any useful time.
Generator Plus Battery Charger
A small inverter generator running a standard battery charger works exactly like grid charging. It is often the fastest off-grid option if you have fuel stored.
Run the generator outdoors, well away from doors and windows, and never in a garage. Carbon monoxide does not care that you are in an emergency.
Idling Another Vehicle
In a pinch, you can connect a running vehicle to the dead one with jumper cables and let it idle to push some charge across. It is slow and burns fuel, so treat it as a short-term fix.
Running lights and radios off a car battery during an outage is common, but it shortens the battery’s life fast. The Department of Energy notes that automotive batteries are shallow-cycle and prone to damage if discharged more than about 20 percent.
If you plan to use 12-volt power regularly, buy a deep-cycle battery for that job and keep your starting battery for starting. Our guide toturning a car battery into an emergency power source covers the inverter setup if you need it short term.
Cold Weather Changes Everything
The NHTSA puts it plainly: when the temperature drops, so does battery power, and gas and diesel engines need more battery power to start in the cold. That is why winter is when weak batteries finally quit.
A discharged battery can also freeze. The Deere guidance notes a fully charged battery will not freeze until well below -80°F, while a completely discharged one may freeze at +5°F.
The fix is simple: go into winter with a fully charged battery and keep it charged. Store your jumper cablesand a charged jump starter in the vehicle from fall through spring.
Keeping a Stored or Bug-Out Vehicle Battery Ready
A bug-out vehicle that sits for weeks is a dead battery waiting to happen. Modern vehicles draw small amounts of current constantly for computers, alarms, and clocks.
Two options work well. Either connect a smart maintainer like the Battery Tender Plus full time, or charge the battery fully and disconnect the negative cable, which Deere’s guidance recommends for seasonal storage.
Check stored batteries with your multimeter monthly, and recharge anything under about 12.4 volts. If you also keep rechargeable cells for flashlights and radios, our complete guide to rechargeable batteries for preppers covers charging them from your vehicle and from solar.
When Recharging Will Not Save It
Sometimes a battery is simply finished. If it will not hold 12.4 volts a day after a full charge, struggles to crank even when fully charged, or is more than four or five years old and failing repeatedly, replace it.
Most parts stores take old batteries back and often refund a core charge, so it costs you nothing to do it right.
When the Grid Goes Down, Will You Still Have a Way Out?
A dead car battery is one problem. But what happens when the power is out for days, gas stations stop pumping fuel, repair shops are closed, and there’s nobody coming to help?
In a real emergency, your family’s safety could depend on the practical skills you learned before disaster struck.
Knowing how to recharge a battery without electricity is just the beginning. What if you also knew how to generate your own power, preserve food without refrigeration, find and purify water, repair essential equipment, and keep your household functioning when modern conveniences disappear?
This practical guide brings back the forgotten self-reliance skills that helped previous generations survive hard times without depending on a functioning power grid, fully stocked stores, or outside assistance.
Discover how to:
Become less dependent on electricity: Learn practical ways to prepare for extended power outages and keep essential household systems working.
Make better use of limited resources: Discover traditional techniques for repairing, reusing, and maintaining the things you already own.
Strengthen your food security: Explore time-tested approaches to growing, storing, and preserving food.
Prepare for unexpected emergencies: Build the knowledge and confidence to handle disruptions when professional help isn’t readily available.
Rediscover forgotten survival skills: Learn practical lessons from generations who knew how to make do with less.
You don’t have to abandon modern life to become more independent. You just need to know what to do when the systems you normally rely on stop working.
Because the worst time to learn a survival skill is the moment your family desperately needs it.
Don’t Wait for the Next Blackout to Discover What You Can’t Do.
Start building the knowledge that can make you more capable, resourceful, and prepared, one practical skill at a time.
The more you know how to do yourself, the less you’re forced to depend on everything going right.
Final Thoughts
Recharging an auto battery is not complicated, but doing it safely takes the right order, the right gear, and a little patience. Test first, charge slowly with a smart charger when you can, and always respect the hydrogen and the acid.
Then build in redundancy: a plug-in charger for normal times, a jump starter in the glovebox, and a solar panel with a charge controller for when the grid goes down. That way a dead battery never decides whether your family gets out.
You may have already read or seen a variety of articles about what would happen if the grid went down or how 90% of people would die. You may also think that many of those articles are far-fetched and designed to instill fear in readers rather than seriously discuss the issue.
If that’s the case for you, then you may think the same about this article based on the title alone. But the purpose of this article is not to scare you or to spread so-called ‘doom and gloom,’ but rather to educate you on what very well could happen if the grid really went down and stayed down.
If and when the grid goes down, it’s not going to be like a normal power outage. Not even close. A true grid-down situation would last much longer, perhaps weeks or months, and during that time, a lot of things are going to happen that you never would have imagined.
Here are ten scary things that would happen if the grid went down. Hopefully, this will remind you of how fragile our society actually is and inspire you to start preparing if you haven't already.
1. No More Supply Trucks
When the supply trucks stop, no stores and restaurants are going to get resupplied. It’s not that it matters much anyway, because those stores are going to be looted and then abandoned afterward anyway.
This will guarantee that within a few short hours of the grid going down, life will already change dramatically because you will no longer be able to resupply yourself with the things that you need. Suddenly, you’ll be wondering why you hadn’t stocked up like you knew you should have been doing all along.
What most people don't realize is just how little food is actually sitting in their local grocery store at any given moment. Modern stores operate on what's called “just-in-time” inventory, meaning they only keep enough stock on hand to last a few days and count on a steady stream of deliveries to keep the shelves full. There's no big warehouse in the back loaded with months of supplies.
And it's not just groceries. Pharmacies, hospitals, and gas stations all depend on the same trucks. If you or someone in your family relies on prescription medication, you're going to want to talk to your doctor about keeping a little extra on hand, because once the pharmacy runs out, it's not getting any more.
As was just mentioned, without the resupply trucks, stores and restaurants are most certainly going to be shut down. The only real question is, when will looting occur?
In some places, you can fully expect looting and rioting to occur within just a few hours of the grid going down, and perhaps even sooner than that. People are going to freak out, and everyone will recognize that it may be their last chance to get resupplied.
Once some people start looting, many more will join in just for the heck of it, and that’s not an exaggeration. Mobs and looters and raiding parties will form quickly and the general breakdown of society around you will be rapid. One moment things will be as they always were, and in the next everything will be a war zone.
Schools will be shut down, even though you can also guarantee they will hold onto any students in session during the early stages of the grid down situation. It’s incredibly unlikely that school administrators and educators will simply release children into the chaos, making it the responsibility of the parents to show up and retrieve their kids in schools.
This is where things could get really stressful for parents. With cell service down (more on that in a bit), you won't be able to call the school or text your kids to find out what's going on. And if you work across town, the roads could already be jammed with thousands of other parents trying to do the exact same thing you are.
That's why it's so important to have a plan worked out ahead of time. Find out what your kids' school does in an emergency, including where students will be taken if they have to evacuate the building. Decide in advance who's picking up the kids if you can't get there, and make sure the school has that person listed as an approved contact. It's also a good idea to pick a meeting spot that everyone in the family knows about, just in case you get separated and can't reach each other.
If your kids are old enough to walk home on their own, make sure they know at least two different routes, and talk to them about what to do if they run into trouble along the way.
4. Commerce Would Cease
This is one that you’re going to want to think about. A grid down situation is seriously going to lead to a complete and utter breakdown of commerce as we know it. Banks will no longer be open, ATM’s won’t work, and debit and credit cards will no longer be of any use.
Will you still be able to use cash? Possibly. At the very least, you'll be able to use it in the early hours of the disaster before things get really bad. You can head on down to your local store and buy as much stuff as you can get if you know things are about to head south.
Beyond that though, it’s difficult seeing cash being of much use for anything. The reason is simple: it has no value other than what people attach to it, and it’s not something we can use to stay alive. In the event of hyperinflation, where the individual dollar will lose value rapidly, it will be of literally no use at all other than as an alternative to Kleenex or toilet paper.
The only type of real commerce that will be going on after then will be bartering, or where people exchange certain goods that we need to survive for other goods. For example, you may be able to trade a box of ammo for several rolls of toilet paper (both of those things are going to be in very high demand following a major disaster).
5. Gasoline Would Be Gone
This is a big one. Gasoline is going to become one of the most precious commodities once people are unable to get any more of it at gas stations.
Everything from cars to motorcycles to ATVs to generators all run on gasoline. We’ve all seen post-apocalyptic movies and TV shows where literally thousands of cars are lying uselessly abandoned by the side of the road. Well, that really won’t be all too far from reality.
In short, once the gasoline supply runs out, we’ll lose everything that runs on gasoline. The gas stations might actually still have fuel sitting in their underground tanks, but it won't matter. The pumps that bring that gas up to your car run on electricity. No power means no pumping, unless the station happens to have a backup generator (and very few do).
Also keep in mind that gasoline doesn't last forever. Untreated gas can start to break down within a few months, which can gum up your engine or generator. If you're storing fuel, add a fuel stabilizer and rotate your supply regularly so you're never stuck with a can of bad gas when you need it most.
The only gasoline we’ll have left is what you have stored and what you will be able to barter from other people (and you can guarantee that it’s going to command a very high price).
6. Cell Service Would Stop
Now, cell service won't necessarily die the second the power goes out. Most cell towers have backup batteries, and some have generators, so you may still get a signal for a few hours or even a few days. But those backups won't last forever, and in the meantime, the network is going to be absolutely flooded with people trying to call their loved ones all at once.
If you do have service, try sending a text instead of making a call. Text messages take up far less bandwidth and will often go through when calls won't. And be sure to conserve your battery by turning down the screen brightness and closing any apps you don't need. A solar charger or a few fully charged power banks can make a big difference here.
Your phone may still work after a grid down, but it’s honestly not going to do you much good if you aren’t able to use it to access cell service or the internet. It’s one reason why investing in other communication devices will be so important, such as a HAM radio or a CB radio.
Once the Internet and cell service goes down, communication, as we know it in general, is going to get very different (and not at all easier).
7. Post Offices Would Close
You can say goodbye to ordering products from Amazon or sending or receiving mail from people when the grid goes down. This will greatly impact the way that we communicate with people long distance as well.
But it goes beyond Amazon packages. Think about all the things that normally show up in your mailbox: prescriptions filled by mail-order pharmacies, government checks, bills, and important documents. All of that will stop.
This is why it's a good idea to keep hard copies of your important documents (birth certificates, insurance policies, deeds, medical records, etc.) in a waterproof and fireproof container at home. If everything you need is stored in an email inbox or on a website somewhere, you won't be able to get to it when the grid goes down
8. Air Conditioning Won't Work
Is a lack of air conditioning life-threatening by any means? It depends. In the middle of summer, it very well could be if you don't take steps to keep yourself cool without AC. At the very least it will be very uncomfortable.
Heat is actually one of the deadliest weather hazards out there, and it tends to sneak up on people. During the Chicago heat wave of 1995, hundreds of people died, many of them elderly folks alone in apartments with no air conditioning and the windows shut. And that was with the grid still up and emergency services still running.
In a grid-down situation, the people most at risk will be the elderly, young children, anyone with a health condition, and pets. If you live in an apartment on an upper floor or in a home with poor insulation, things can get dangerously hot indoors, sometimes even hotter than it is outside. And don't forget that without power, your ceiling fans and box fans won't be running either.
This is why you need to know the warning signs of heat-related illness. Heat exhaustion usually comes first, with symptoms like heavy sweating, dizziness, headache, nausea, and muscle cramps. If you or someone else starts feeling this way, get to the coolest spot you can, drink water, and rest. If it's not dealt with, it can turn into heat stroke, which is a true medical emergency. Watch for confusion, slurred speech, hot skin, or a person who has stopped sweating. With no ambulance on the way, you'll need to cool them down fast with cool water and wet cloths on the neck, armpits, and groin.
A few simple things can go a long way toward keeping you cool. Keep your blinds and curtains closed during the day to block out the sun, then open windows at night when the air is cooler. Hang out in the lowest level of your home, since heat rises. Do any hard work early in the morning or in the evening, and drink water throughout the day even if you don't feel thirsty. A few battery-powered fans (and plenty of spare batteries) are also a cheap and smart addition to your preps.
One more thing to keep in mind: if you open your windows, you're also opening your home up to bugs. Mosquitoes can carry diseases, so it's worth stocking up on window screens, mosquito netting, and bug spray.
And it's not just air conditioning you won't have anymore…
9. Heaters Wouldn't Work
Just as the summer months are going to get really uncomfortable due to the lack of air conditioning, so will the freezing cold winter months due to the lack of heat.
In fact, the lack of heat is going to be a far worse problem than the lack of air conditioning and really could be life-threatening if it ever gets particularly cold outside.
This is why you’re going to want to stock up on as much firewood, propane bottles for heaters, and candles as you can. The firewood will be good if you have a firewood stove inside your home, but even if you lack the stove, you can still use it for getting a small and controllable fire outside.
Meanwhile, propane-run heaters will also be good to stock up on and cost less than five dollars each on average, and you can even use candles for warmth and light as well. Finally, be sure to invest in plenty of warm blankets and sleeping bags to go with it.
One very important word of warning: be extremely careful about what you burn indoors. Every year, people die from carbon monoxide poisoning after a power outage because they tried to heat their home with a grill, a camp stove, or a generator running in the garage. Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless, so you won't even know it's building up until it's too late.
Only use heaters that are specifically rated for indoor use, keep a window cracked for ventilation, and never, ever run a generator inside your home or garage. You'll also want a battery-powered carbon monoxide detector (and plenty of spare batteries), since any detectors that are hardwired into your home's electrical system may stop working once their backup batteries die.
The same goes for candles. They're great for light and a little warmth, but they're also a leading cause of house fires, and the fire department may not be able to get to you in a grid-down situation. Never leave them unattended, and keep a fire extinguisher close by.
You might still get some water out of your faucets for a little while after the power goes out. Many cities use water towers that rely on gravity to push water through the pipes. But once those towers drain, the electric pumps that refill them won't be running, and the water pressure will drop to nothing.
Without running water, your toilets won't flush either. In some areas, sewage treatment plants and pump stations will also fail, which can cause sewage to back up into homes. That's not just gross, it's a serious health hazard. It's a good idea to have a plan for handling human waste, such as a bucket toilet with heavy-duty trash bags and some kitty litter or sawdust.
As soon as the grid goes down, fill up your bathtubs, sinks, and any other containers you have while the water is still flowing. That water may not be safe to drink without treatment, but it'll be very useful for flushing toilets and cleaning. You won’t be able to run the dishwasher or the washing machine anymore, nor would you be able to take a shower, run the bath, water your plants, or even fill up a sink.
This is why when you stockpile water, you need to stockpile both drinking and cleaning/personal hygiene water. The recommended amount will be at least one gallon of water per person per day. One half of that gallon will be for drinking, and the other half will be for cleaning and personal hygiene.
Water filters and purification tablets will also be immensely important because when you do manage to procure more water for drinking purposes from other sources, it may not be safe to drink. Drinking unsafe water can oftentimes be more unsafe than not drinking any water at all, which will make a water filter device even more important and critical to own.
