Survival Homestead

In the Wake: Cooking (from Tools for Gridcrash)

There are a few basic concepts involved in cooking, and in designing cookers that will cook as rapidly, efficiently and conveniently as possible. These include heat gain, heat loss, and heat storage.

…but is it too little too late? Click the link to read the full story, and don’t be satisfied by the reading alone. Do something positive and practical, especially if you have a wife and children to care for.

‘The Archers’ brings the idea of a self-sufficient community to the fore - Telegraph

World shortages of petroleum and the belief that supplies will become too scarce are driving some to seek an oil-free lifestyle. As ‘The Archers’ brings to the fore the idea of a self-sufficient community, Rowena Mason asks whether this new movement is the product of panic or a common-sense solution.

The petrol pumps are dry, the supermarket shelves are bare and family cars sit uselessly in driveways. Faced with a national shortage of oil, the comfortable lifestyles of middle-class people are threatened by an austerity not seen since the post-war rationing of the early 1950s.

Richard and Karen Hathway with Sugar, one of three lambs they reared
Richard and Karen Hathway with Sugar, one of three lambs they reared as part of their sustainable lifestyle

This is Britain in 2012, according to 54?year-old Richard Hathway and his wife Karen, who live in a family home in a sleepy Worcestershire village. They are convinced the country is heading for the worst oil crisis it has ever known, so this year they have decided to change their lifestyle for good.

The couple are now well on the way to making their lives “oil-proof” from the energy shortages they believe are inevitable. The biggest change is disconnecting their house from the mains (known as going “off-grid”), but they have also bought five acres of land for growing vegetables, chickens for eggs and meat, goats for dairy products and a generator for emergency energy.

“In four or five years’ time life is going to get so much harder,” says Mr Hathway, whose plans for the miniature farm include wind power and a rainwater butt. “So it’s going to be very important to grow your own vegetables when the supermarkets stop being able to import. People will start stealing fuel - it could even lead to looting.”

The Hathways are part of an increasingly vocal movement of “new survivalism” taking hold among ordinary, rational people, who have started to panic about the future of a Britain unable to source enough energy. Many are worried about the theory of “peak-oil”, believing that the world’s oil extraction has peaked and the precious commodity will soon be too expensive for everyday use. What would happen, they ask, in a world where oil becomes scarce? Would your family be able to survive an energy famine?

“Survivalism” refers to a trend, seen during the Cold War of the 1970s, to bulk-buy in preparation for chronic shortages of essential goods or impending nuclear doom. The original frenzy was sparked in Britain by the Middle East oil crisis of 1973, which led to a serious bout of panic-buying of petrol that emptied garages of fuel.

From chicagotribune.com

Residents in McHenry, Kane, Lake and DuPage Counties—regions where the infestation forced a state quarantine—have been especially hard hit.

“We’ve been getting call after call about gypsy moths,” said Doris Taylor, plant clinic manager at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. They’ve come from Woodridge, Downers Grove, Lisle, Westchester, Bartlett and Lombard, she said.

In 2000, Lake County became the first Illinois county to be quarantined by the state Agriculture Department to try to slow the spread of the leaf-eating insect larvae. DuPage, McHenry and Cook were added in 2007.

A quarantine is an attempt to stop the movement of moth eggs. It means that local tree and shrub growers must spray their plants and have them inspected before receiving a certificate to allow them to sell and ship their goods outside the county. Grills, campers and lumber also should be inspected.

When the gypsy moth’s numbers reach outbreak proportions, its presence is something approaching a horror film.

Full Story at: iht.com

Legendary Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens sees today’s stubbornly high oil price as evidence that daily global production capacity is at — or very near — its peak.If demand for crude oil rises beyond the current global output of roughly 85 million barrels per day, Pickens told The Associated Press, prices will rise to compensate and alternative sources of energy will begin to replace petroleum.

“If I’m right, we’re already at the peak,” Pickens said earlier this week in Doha, on the sidelines of the Forbes magazine CEO conference. “The price will have to go up.”

Confidence about the world’s supply of oil is being undermined by what Pickens said were overoptimistic estimates of Middle Eastern reserves, mainly by Saudi Arabia. The Saudis and other major producers ban independent verification of their reserves.

“I think there are less reserves around the world than are being reported,” said the 78-year-old former wildcatter, who now heads the Dallas-based hedge fund BP Capital. “There are no audited reserves in the Mideast. It makes me suspicious.”

Via: Be Prepared - Channel 7

There are six basics you should stock for your home in the case of an emergency:

water, food, first aid supplies, clothing and bedding, tools and emergency supplies, and special items for medical conditions.

Keep the items that you would most likely need during an evacuation in an easy-to carry container. Below is a comprehensive list of what should be included in your kit – recommended items are marked with an asterisk(*).

Possible containers include a large, covered trash container, a camping backpack or a duffle bag.

Full List