As their name suggests, “forever foods” are items that are meant for long-term survival. All preppers understand that having access to clean food and water is a priority during a crisis, but the question of how to store food for the long-term inevitably comes up. While many survival foods are made to be stored for a few months (or years), perhaps all of them do come with expiration dates.

Luckily there are many foods that never expire. We’ve listed 12 of them below. Take note that a lot of the foods we’ll be talking about will not be enough to prepare a complete meal, but they can add flavor and some calories to typical survival fare.

1. Apple cider vinegar (ACV) — As long as you keep it sealed, ACV will last forever when stored in a cool, dry pantry. You can use ACV as a dressing for salad, as a marinade for meat, or even as a non-toxic cleaning product for your home. ACV also boasts a number of health benefits, from being a great natural hair cleanser to an ideal natural weight loss supplement.
2. Salt — Just make sure to buy the pure kind. Seasoned salt does expire. Pure salt, however, can last indefinitely. You can use salt to also extend the shelf life of other foods like meat or even fruit.
3. Soy sauce — Soy sauce is mostly made of salt, which explains its long shelf life. As long as you leave it unopened, soy sauce can last forever. The condiment is a great way to add some flavor to your meal.
4. Pemmican — Created by Native Americans, pemmican is a concentrated blend of fat and protein from lean and dried meat. Traditionally, pemmican was made from bison, moose, deer, or elk.
5. Raw honey — It is true that honey will crystallize over time, but it is still safe to eat after you heat it for a little bit to get it back to the right consistency. You can combine this with soy sauce to make a simple but delicious glaze to your meats.
6. Corn starch — When kept dry, corn starch can stay good indefinitely. You can use it to thicken stews or gravies.
7. Dried lentils — Lentils are some of the best survival foods because they are easy to cook, have a high nutritional value, and are excellent sources of protein. There is also evidence to suggest that legumes can help regulate blood sugar levels in people with Type 2 diabetes.
8. Alcohol — Distilled liquor serves two purposes. The first is to help uplift spirits when SHTF. While dangerous when taken in excess, alcohol can help people in crisis feel less stressed. During a SHTF scenario, alcohol can also be used as a barter item, or a disinfectant.
9. White rice — Stored in the right conditions, white rice can last forever. Just be sure to store yours in an airtight container to keep bugs out.
10. Powdered milk — This can serve as a good alternative source of calcium and vitamin D during emergencies.
11. Hardtack — Hardtack was a favorite during the Great Depression. It is a mixture of water and flour that is formed into a hard cracker. While the taste may be bland for some, hardtack can provide long-lasting sustenance during an emergency.
12. Ghee — Ghee is butter that has been boiled until all the moisture has evaporated. This helps lengthen its shelf life.

These “forever foods” are important additions to any pantry, and any prepper worth his or her salt should have a least a few of them in their bug-out location.

Sources include:

MDCreekmore.com

Blog.SurvivalFrog.com

MedicalDaily.com

OffTheGridNews.com

Burns should be addressed immediately to prevent infections and to offer relief to the injured individual. But when SHTF and you don’t have access to emergency medical services, you can treat mild or moderate burns using the home remedies detailed below. (h/t to DoomAndBloom.net)

Burn wound treatment basics

When treating burns after a survival scenario, you must first cool the wound with running water for about 10 to 15 minutes for best results. If you don’t have access to clean, running water, submerge the burned area in cool water.

Never use ice on burned skin. The injured skin is traumatized and using ice on the patient’s skin will constrict blood vessels and decrease blood circulation to an area that desperately needs it.

Burns, especially severe ones, should be treated by medical experts. But when you only have access to limited supplies or if the burn is minor, these natural remedies will do in a pinch.

Aloe vera

As a succulent plant, aloe vera has some thick and fleshy parts. These viscous parts allow aloe vera to retain water in its natural habitat. Aloe vera likes warm climates, but it can be grown successfully indoors in pots.

According to studies, aloe vera helps maintain moist conditions in damaged skin. This plant is anti-inflammatory, and it encourages faster healing. Additionally, aloe vera promotes circulation and inhibits the growth of bacteria.

Soothing aloe vera is an important remedy because it’s very simple to use. Just cut a leaf, scoop out the slimy flesh from the leaf, then apply it to a minor burn. Reapply aloe vera several times daily, with or without a bandage covering the burn.

Oatmeal

Use oatmeal to relieve itching that may occur when a burn starts to heal. Prepare a lukewarm bath, then add a cup of uncooked oatmeal to the water.

Help the patient get into the tub, which may be slippery because of the oatmeal. Let the patient soak in the oatmeal bath for about 10 to 20 minutes so that a thin coating of oatmeal remains on their skin.

Raw, unprocessed honey

Honey, a common remedy for various kind of wounds, is also used to treat burns. However, it is best to use raw, unprocessed honey since it retains its antibacterial activity and hydrating properties. (Related: Survival medicine: Are you familiar with the medicinal uses of honey?)

Follow the steps below to use honey as a burn remedy:

1. Cool down the burned area with running water, then apply a generous amount of honey over the burned skin.
2. Spread some honey on a waterproof dressing so it doesn’t stick to the patient’s skin. Cover the entire area.
3. The dressing over the burned skin may start to fill up with fluid oozing out from the wound. This will require regular, frequent dressing changes to keep the wound clean.
4. If you used cling wrap on the burned area, let it stay in place for the first 48 hours, then check and add more honey to the damaged skin. After 48 hours, cover the burned area with new cling wrap or non-stick dressings for another 48 hours. Repeat this step for at least eight to 10 days.
5. Do not remove or wash off the honey from the burned area for the first 20 days, or earlier if the wound has already healed.
6. Reapply the honey regularly and fill up any deeper areas of severe burns as needed. When applying honey, make sure it extends over the edges of the burn to prevent exposure to air until healing is completed. Remember, even air contains bacteria that may infect the wound.

Witch hazel

You can use witch hazel to make a cooling compress for burns. Witch hazel extract contains tannins, and these chemicals can help ease inflammation and soothe first degree burns. Apply witch hazel directly to the skin to reduce swelling, repair damaged skin, and prevent infection.

Soak a compress in full-strength witch hazel, then apply to the burned area. Reapply the witch hazel compress as frequently as desired.

When disaster strikes, use these natural remedies to address mild burns.

Sources include:

DoomAndBloom.net

Healthline.com

A safe and natural painkiller that offers all the benefits of opium – without any of its adverse effects – may be growing right in your backyard. While largely overlooked in recent times, wild lettuce (Lactuca virosa) has been known for centuries to be effective in treating conditions such as insomnia, anxiety, chronic pain, headaches and asthma. Tinctures, which are simple herbal remedies, made from the milky sap of the plant can produce very similar effects to those of opium – including the “high” – but without any of its addictive properties or other negative side effects.

Poor man’s opium

The plant – which looks like a cross between a dandelion and a thistle – was known to the Hopi tribe and is still used in France as a folk remedy. In the 1880s, “lettuce opium” was used as a substitute for opium, earning it the nickname “poor man’s opium.”

Although lettuce opium has the same general effect and appearance of the substance derived from the opium poppy, it contains no actual opium and will not trigger a positive result on an opioid drug test. (Related: The natural painkiller growing in your backyard: Wild lettuce is similar to morphine.)

A theory regarding the reportedly disappointing quality of mail order lettuce opium preparations is based on the premise that the active compounds quickly lose their potency after harvesting, so it’s probably a good idea to avoid the store-bought products and to simply prepare your own. Fortunately, it’s not a difficult process at all.

Make your own wild lettuce tincture at home

The best way to experience the benefits of lettuce opium is to harvest it yourself and make your own tincture – a process that requires very little special equipment or experience. Here are some simple instructions on making a wild lettuce tincture at home, using a tincture press and common household items. (h/t to BotanicsEye.com)

All that’s involved is harvesting the parts of the plant you want to use, running them through a blender and soaking them overnight in ethanol before using the tincture press to squeeze out the liquid. This process is repeated for a few days until there is enough solution to prepare the tincture, which involves simmering the solution until it produces a black, sticky tar-like substance which can be ingested or smoked just like opium.

The leaves and flowering tops of the plant can also be dried and smoked or made into tea, but eating large doses of opium lettuce can cause nausea, vomiting, anxiety, and dizziness.

As with everything, use common sense and moderation – even natural medicines should be handled and ingested with care, and lettuce opium is no exception to the rule.

Lettuce opium is but one of many traditional natural remedies that are slowly being rediscovered by those seeking alternatives to dangerous and ineffective Big Pharma medications. Many of us are now learning what traditional natural healers have known for many centuries – that Mother Nature provides us with everything we need to prevent illness and maintain good health.

Sources include:

HealthAndHomeRemedies.com

BotanicsEye.com

Our ability to track weather thanks to various apps is nothing really to brag about. Meteorologists and the latest weather apps may provide forecasts based on educated guesses, but really, everything’s up in the air – pun intended – when it comes to understanding nature.

And what will you do when SHTF and those apps no longer exist? One prepping skill a lot of us have forgotten about is looking for – and understanding – the signs from nature of changing weather. Certain weather patterns can be observed and show you what you can expect.

Look at the sky

Clouds are the most obvious signs of coming weather.

• Rain clouds tend to be lower to the ground. If you notice clouds being generally high, you can expect fair weather.
• Nimbostratus clouds are dark clouds that hang low and are usually associated with rain.
• Cumulus clouds are bright white and look like cotton. Cumulus clouds are vertically-developing clouds and can, therefore, look like “towers.” These can indicate the possibility of showers later in the day.
• Cumulonimbus clouds are dense, towering vertical structures and are indicative of a coming thunderstorm or other severe weather.
• Cirrus clouds, which are stringy, fluffy clouds, may mean bad weather within the next 36 hours.
• Altocumulus clouds look like “fish scales” and are another indicator of bad weather within the next 36 hours.
• Cirrocumulus clouds are small, puffy clouds that come in rows. This may mean that cold weather is coming.
• Mammatus clouds, as their name suggests, look somewhat like mammary glands and look like a pattern of pouches hanging underneath the base of a cloud. They may indicate an upcoming thunderstorm.

Other indications of bad weather may include the following:

• Rainbows are a good indicator of rain. Rainbows west of you may indicate that rain is on the way, as weather patterns typically move from west to east. If the rainbow is east of you, the rain has probably already passed.
• Look for rings around the moon. These halos are caused by the refraction, reflection, and dispersion of light through ice particles, indicating an upcoming snowstorm.
• A red sky in the morning tells you that dry air has already passed and that rain or snow is coming.
• If you are experiencing a red sunset, it may mean that a high-pressure system is on its way.

Observe animals

Animals are highly attuned to Mother Nature. Closely observing both domestic and wild animals can give us clues on what to expect.

• Deer, elk, and other large game animals will move to lower elevations when snow is coming. If you notice these animals migrating to lower elevations earlier than expected, it may indicate severe weather.
• Bats flying around in the evening is usually an indicator of fair weather the next day.
• Frogs are highly sensitive to rain. When you notice them croaking more, or generally being noisier, you can expect rain.
• Spiders also come down from their webs right before rain begins.
• Birds likewise give a good indication of bad weather. If you notice them flying high, chances are there will be fair weather. If they are flying lower, you can expect rain.
• Cows appear nervous before an oncoming storm. They try to prepare for this by seeking shelter. If they cannot find any, they will lie down in groups in a field. The same holds true for sheep. Sheep may gather together in a tight group before a storm.

Even if you aren’t planning on being a prepper, it is still good practice to be aware of your surroundings. The observations written above are the collected wisdom of many people who depend, or have depended, on the weather for their livelihood. They are just as useful today as they were centuries ago.

This isn’t the only preparedness guide on nature that we have. Preparedness.news has got you covered for all your survival needs.

Sources include:

Survivopedia.com

OwlCation.com

FarmersAlmanac.com

Science.HowStuffWorks.com

Before refrigerators, eggs were preserved using different methods to prolong their shelf life. (h/t to PracticalSelfReliance.com)

If you keep chickens in your homestead, you can preserve their eggs so you can cook with eggs even during winter, when chickens ease up on their laying habits. Knowing how to preserve eggs ensures that you have a year-round supply of homegrown eggs.

The simplest way to preserve eggs is by keeping them cool. Eggs have a natural outer coating that preserves the egg inside. If this coating is washed off, refrigerate the eggs.

Store unwashed eggs in a cool closet or back room for weeks. Keep temperature below 50 F and humidity at about 75 percent.

Fermented or salt-cured eggs

Fermentation is an old preservation technique that involves creating the right conditions so natural lactic acid bacteria can thrive while preventing spoilage bacteria from taking hold.

1. Fermented eggs

Salt-cured eggs are a form of a fermented egg. To make whole salt-cured eggs, hard boil the eggs then ferment them as a natural probiotic pickle. Use a salt brine with a bit of starter like sauerkraut juice or whey.

Allow fermented eggs to culture on the counter in a jar of brine and starter for about three days before refrigerating. While the cooler temperatures in the refrigerator slow the lactic acid bacteria considerably, they’ll still be slowly culturing under cold temperatures. Salt-cured eggs must be consumed within two weeks.

To save some time, you can cure eggs directly in a jar of sauerkraut.

2. Salt-preserved egg yolks

Try preserving just the yolk if you want to make a delicious cured product that can be used as an alternative to Parmesan cheese. Grate a bit of cured egg yolk over pasta for an umami boost of flavor.

Freeze the egg whites so you don’t waste anything.

Freezing

Here are several ways to freeze eggs.

3. Freezing raw eggs

Eggs are easy to freeze and they can be stored for several months. When freezing eggs, you have several different options: you can either freeze whole eggs, or you can store the yolks and whites separately.

If you’re freezing eggs, it’s better to store them scrambled. After they’re thawed, use three tablespoons of scrambled egg mix if the recipe calls for one fresh egg.

4. Freezing cooked eggs

To freeze cooked eggs, fry an egg or bake it in a muffin pan, then freeze it. Frozen cooked eggs will keep for several months.

5. Freezing eggs in baked goods

For this method, you need to make an egg-heavy baked good, then freeze it. Try baking brownies or pound cakes. (Related: Knowledge is power: 31 Crucial skills for every homesteader.)

Pickling or canning

Pickling and canning eggs can extend their shelf life by at least four months.

6. Pickled eggs

Eggs pickled in vinegar should be kept in the refrigerator.

To make pickled eggs, hard boil and peel whole eggs. Pack the eggs into a jar, then cover them with a brine. Use a ratio of one cup of vinegar to one teaspoon of salt. Add spices (optional), then let the flavors infuse for about one to two weeks before eating.

You can keep pickled eggs for at least four months in your fridge.

Old-fashioned egg preservation methods

When SHTF and you lose electricity, try some of these methods that don’t require refrigeration.

7. Preserving eggs in wood ash

Wood ash (the ash that you clean out of a wood stove) can be used to preserve eggs.

Eggs stored in wood ash have loss rates of about 20 percent after six months, with only 40 percent spoilage after eight months. Do take note that eggs preserved in wood ash may have a stale taste.

8. Preserving eggs in oats or bran

Oats or oat bran can cushion eggs to keep them from breaking. However, this method won’t preserve high-quality eggs.

The quality of these eggs may degrade over time, but most eggs preserved in oats are still edible. Try coating eggs in beeswax before packing them in oats to prevent dehydration.

9. Wax-preserved eggs (paraffin or beeswax)

Similar to the methods listed above, coating eggs in wax aims to seal the pores in eggshells to prevent spoiling. While wax can seal pores a bit more thoroughly than other oil-based substances, it requires more work than the other methods.

Dip fresh eggs one at a time in hot, melted paraffin. Cover the whole egg, then take it out immediately with wire tongs. Let the paraffin harden then quickly dip it again, but reverse the egg. Let the wax cool.

Carefully wrap each egg separately in waxed or paraffin paper. Avoid scratching or breaking the coating. Pack the eggs in tin cans, then seal with paraffin to keep the air out. Canned waxed eggs will keep for several months when stored in a cool place.

10. Preserving whole eggs in salt

Packing whole eggs in salt is just as effective as using ashes or oats. The eggs won’t spoil, but they lose moisture because of evaporation.

Whole eggs preserved in salt will last longer than eggs left on the counter, but their quality may also degrade. Use this method as a last resort.

Keep these egg preservation methods in mind if you want to make fresh eggs last the whole year round.

Sources include:

PracticalSelfReliance.com

FoodRepublic.com

Preppers plan ahead for everything – from possible disaster scenarios to everyday emergencies like a flat tire. They also plan for the kind of items that they add to their survival food supply. (h/t to TheMerrillProject.com)

If you wish to start setting up your own food stockpile, here are three common mistakes that you need to avoid when buying food.

Buying food in bulk doesn’t always save you money

This may depend on the prepper, but buying items in bulk doesn’t always save you money.

Here are two reasons why:

1. You buy so much of one item that you get sick of it.
2. You buy too much food that you store it in your pantry, you forget about it, and it goes to waste.

Unless you have enough storage space, buying seasonings and baking ingredients in bulk may be to your disadvantage. Purchase the typical size available at the grocery store. With these common bulk items, you only save a couple of cents to the dollar per ounce.

If you have an extra room just for storing your survival supplies, here are items that are better to buy in bulk:

• Canned fruits and vegetables – Preserve your own fruits and vegetables if you have the resources or buy canned organic products.
• Coffee and tea
• Condiments – Buy condiments that your family likes, like BBQ sauce, ketchup, hot sauce, or mustard.
• Dried beans – Buy kidney, Pinto, or white beans, as long as your family likes eating them.
• Granola and granola bars
• Honey
• Jams and jellies
• Oatmeal
• Pasta (e.g. macaroni, spaghetti, etc.)
• Salt and pepper
• Sauces – Ideally, you should also learn how to preserve sauces to ensure the quality of each jar in your pantry.
• Spices and seasonings – Different spices and seasonings are a lifesaver, especially if you want to make each meal delicious even after SHTF.
• White flour
• White rice – Brown rice is healthier, but it has a shorter shelf life.

Think of the items that your family uses or consumes a lot, like beans and rice. You can save more money per ounce if you buy these products in bulk.

Not considering the product’s best buy dates

Before you buy a whole case of ketchup or other products that are on sale, double-check the best buy dates. You don’t want to keep expired food in your stockpile, do you?

Take note of best buy dates so you know how to properly organize food and when to rotate items. The best buy dates of items in your stockpile will also help you keep track of how much food your family consumes in a year. (Related: Food storage tips and tricks for preppers.)

Buying without planning ahead

Never go to the store without planning ahead. There’s no point in buying beans in bulk if your family prefers rice instead.

Consider how often you’re going to use each item before you buy in bulk. For example, you can use rice to make both savory meals like beans and rice, along with desserts like rice pudding. Incorporate versatile ingredients into your recipes so you can make the most out of all the items in your pantry.

If you have pets, don’t forget to buy pet food and treats for them. You may also want to stockpile your kids’ favorite food so they can snack on something familiar even during a disaster.

Avoid these three common mistakes when planning your survival food supply to save money, time, and space in your storage.

Visit FoodStorage.news for more articles with tips on how to maximize your storage space.

Sources include:

TheMerrillProject.com

UrbanSurvivalSite.com

Herbs aren’t just used to enhance the flavor of food. When SHTF, preppers know which medicinal herbs can be used to address different health complaints like headaches or a sore throat.

It’s easy to grow various kinds of medicinal herbs in your garden or on your patio. Even if you live in an apartment, you can grow herbs on a windowsill right in your kitchen, all without spending a fortune.

Before you use any of the plants included in the list below, consult a healthcare professional to determine if they will interact with any medication that you are currently taking.

Here are 10 medicinal herbs that preppers need in their garden. (h/t to HomesteadSurvivalSite.com)

Basil

There are several varieties and sizes of basil. However, holy basil is the most popular because of its healing benefits.

Basil functions as an anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial, and it is used to prevent illness and infection. The herb can be used as an antiseptic for scrapes and cuts. Additionally, it can relieve tension headaches since it has muscle-relaxing qualities.

Fresh basil can be used to make a medicinal tea that can address a cough, indigestion, or a sore throat. The herb is also used to relieve congestion due to colds and painful insect bites or stings.

Bergamot

Bergamot, which is also called Oswego tea or bee balm, is an aromatic herb. Add bergamot leaves to salads if you want to make a delicious and nutritious dish.

Bergamot is used to ease digestive issues, lower a fever, and to relieve headaches. You can apply fresh bergamot leaves to your skin to heal pimples and other blemishes.

To make bergamot tea, put a handful of bergamot herb leaves and flowers into a teapot. Pour at least two cups of boiling water over the herbs, then cover the pot. Let the tea steep for five minutes. Add a little honey if you want a sweet tea, then serve while still hot.

Chamomile

Chamomile is often used for its calming properties, but the plant can also help relieve an upset stomach. Additionally, chamomile can help treat skin irritations and acne scars. Chamomile is also used to calm babies with colic.

Cloves

Cloves, the aromatic flower buds of the clove tree, are used as a numbing agent for tooth pain. Use clove if you have a dental emergency while you’re living off the grid. If you have a toothache, apply clove juice or clove oil to the area that hurts for immediate relief.

Cloves are used to address dental problems because of their antibacterial properties.

Additionally, cloves contain fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Fiber can help prevent constipation, vitamin C can boost your immune system, and vitamin K is an important nutrient for blood clotting. Cloves also contain manganese, an essential mineral that can support brain function and help build strong bones.

Lavender

Lavender is a fragrant flower with calming effects. The flower can be used to make a topical antiseptic for the skin. Lavender can relieve digestive problems and headaches, and it can help induce sleep. (Related: Medicinal wildflowers to harvest when hiking.)

Lemon balm

Lemon balm is easy to grow, and this versatile herb can be used to treat digestive problems, insomnia, and wounds. Lip balm made from lemon balm can soothe cold sores.

You can ease digestive problems with lemon balm tea. To make the tea, use two tablespoons of fresh lemon balm leaves or a tablespoon of dried leaves for each cup of boiling water. Let the mixture steep for an hour, then strain and add honey or lemon before drinking the tea.

Oregano

Oregano, often used in Italian cooking, is an aromatic and flavorful herb with many healing properties. The herb can help treat digestive issues, headaches, menstrual cramps, muscle pain, nausea, and toothaches.

Oregano oil can be used to treat insect bites and burns. Finally, inhaling the scent of oregano and oregano oil can help open up nasal passages.

Peppermint

Inhaling the scent of peppermint, sometimes called “the world’s oldest medicine,” can help relieve nausea and vomiting symptoms associated with motion sickness. Peppermint can also promote oral health and prevent bad breath.

Thyme

Thyme is a popular herb used in French cooking and can help ease cold symptoms like congestion, coughing, and indigestion. The herb can also be used to make a poultice that can reduce throat pain. It also supports the heart and circulatory system.

Wooly lamb’s ear

Wooly lamb’s ear is called “Nature’s Band-aid” because the herb’s soft leaves can be applied directly on minor cuts and scrapes to slow down or stop the bleeding. The herb’s leaves also have antibacterial properties that can help prevent infections.

Wooly lamb’s ear can also be used to reduce the pain and swelling caused by bug bites and rashes. If you have an upset stomach or diarrhea, drinking wooly lamb’s ear tea can make you feel better.

Plant these useful herbs in your garden so you always have access to medicinal herbs when SHTF.

Sources include:

HomesteadSurvivalSite.com

Healthline.com

In movies and TV shows, burglars are sometimes portrayed as comedic and ineffective. However, preppers take threats like burglars seriously, especially since thieves can be sneakier and craftier in real life. (h/t to ThePrepperJournal.com.)

Why is home security important?

Whether you live in an apartment in the city or in a homestead near the woods, you shouldn’t let yourself be lulled into a false sense of security. Consider this: Over two million burglaries are reported annually in the US. Is your home safe from thieves?

Secure your property by getting a home alarm system so you’ll be alerted if anyone attempts to break in to your house. After you notify the authorities, it wouldn’t hurt to have self-defense weapons so you can protect your family if things escalate.

Follow the three tips listed below to improve home security.

1. Check your property for possible hiding spots

After you see any possible hiding spots, make sure that no one can use these areas to sneak into your house. For example, if you have bushes or trees around your property, especially near windows, keep them trimmed so they can’t be used as a hiding spot.

You should also trim shrubbery that is high enough to block the windows in your house. Otherwise, burglars may try to hide behind them to break in to your home without anyone noticing.

Finally, install outdoor lighting in your property. Areas around your house that get very dark at night are potential hiding spots for burglars, and installing motion-detecting lights around your property can help deter thieves. (Related: Simple strategies you can implement NOW to significantly improve your home security.)

2. Fortify your windows

Think about the last time you had to leave your house in a hurry because you were already late for school or work. Did you sometimes leave your window unlocked because you didn’t want to waste another minute securing your home?

Before you leave your house, make it a habit to check not only the front, side, and garage doors, but also your windows. There’s no point in locking your doors if you forget the windows. An unlocked window is an invitation for burglars to break in. Tell everyone in your family to keep all doors and windows locked if they’re leaving the house.

You can also take things a step further by getting shatterproof glass for your windows. This kind of glass is designed to withstand heavy blows from strangers attempting to break in to your home.

3. Keep your private life private

This may seem redundant, but in the age of social media, almost everyone knows everything about their neighbors because people love discussing all sorts of things on Facebook. If you’re planning a vacation, don’t announce it on your social media. You never know who’s keeping tabs on your activities so they can break in to your home and steal your valuables.

Do you really want to let complete strangers know when your house is going to be left empty? You also need to stop checking in at places on Facebook or Instagram because you’re just letting thieves know that you’re not at home.

As a prepper, you’re responsible for keeping yourself and your loved ones safe. You need to be vigilant so you can also protect your property from burglars.

Additional home security tips

Below are more tips that you can follow to ensure that your home is protected against thieves or potential attackers.

• Don’t use cheap locks. Invest in high-quality locks to keep your home safe.
• Never leave ladders in your yard. Once you’re done maintaining your home or yard, put the ladder in the garage and keep it under lock and key.
• Stop hiding keys around your house. Thieves will find a way to retrieve that “hidden” key, so leave your spare key with a trusted neighbor instead.

If you go on vacation, you can rest easy knowing that your home is secure because you have taken all the necessary precaution to keep it safe.

Sources include:

ThePrepperJournal.com

AskAPrepper.com

Homesteaders work hard to cultivate the plants in their garden. However, something as small as a weed can wreak havoc even in the most carefully maintained yard. Thankfully, there are two tips that can help you get rid of pesky weeds. (h/t to OldWorldGardenFarms.com)

Did you know that most of the weeds in your garden show up because you work too hard? By easing up on the gardening tasks, you can significantly reduce your weeding chores.

How do weeds end up in your garden?

Like vegetables, weeds have to be “planted.” But while you intentionally plant vegetable seeds, weed seeds invade your garden at will.

Weed seeds will occasionally find their way into the garden surface. Some seeds are blown in by the wind while others may be carried and left behind by birds and other wildlife. Unfortunately, you also unknowingly help weed seeds on the surface get planted.

Whenever garden soil is disturbed by hoeing, shoveling, or tilling, the next crop of weed seeds is planted. This then becomes a vicious cycle that will annoy even the most hardworking gardener.

How to effectively eliminate garden weeds

Not working too hard doesn’t mean neglecting your garden if you want to get rid of weeds. It just means that you can focus on other tasks in your homestead instead of doing things that may aggravate your weed problem.

Here are two secrets to successfully eliminating garden weeds.

1. Don’t till and hoe too much.

It may be considered a crucial gardening tool, but the rototiller is a major planter of weeds. Rototillers are used to rip up sod and prepare the soil for a new garden, but the tool also creates more work and problems in an established garden. Rototillers can be expensive to buy, maintain, and use, and they are weed-planting machines.

In late fall and winter, weed seeds find their way onto the surface of the soil in your garden. These seeds often lay dormant. However, when spring rolls around, using a rototiller will flip the soil along with hundreds or even thousands of weed seeds. This then distributes the seeds all over your vegetable garden.

Once these seeds get a chance to germinate, they will double or triple the weeds in your soil, starting the weed cycle. You will spend a lot of time trying various methods to get rid of the weeds sprouting from the freshly tilled rows and around your plants.

Using a rototiller every few days only tills under the weeds in the rows while hoeing works weeds between the plants. Both these activities only replant more weeds in the soil, which is the last thing you need if you want your garden to thrive.

Tilling and hoeing also affect the soil structure of your garden. The heavy foot traffic and wheels rolling behind a tiller will compact the soil, and a vegetable plant’s growth may be stunted if its roots are compacted. This is one reason to try cultivating a raised row garden, which doesn’t require any tilling on your end. (Related: Tips for starting your own organic garden.)

2. Always cover your soil.

Another easy way to eliminate weeds in your garden is by covering the soil. Once you do this, very few weed seeds will germinate in your garden.

During the growing season, cover all of your walking rows with mulch so you don’t have to spend too much time maintaining them.

You can cover your garden soil with at least six inches of the following materials:

• Bark chips
• Grass clippings
• Newspaper (a biodegradable and garden-safe material)
• Shredded leaves
• Straw

Once the soil is covered, mulch around plants to keep weed seeds out. Use at least two to three inches of mulching around your plants and in your growing rows.

The mulch will help keep out weeds while the compost provides the plants with added nutrients. Make sure you always cover bare soil to keep weeds out of your garden.

Cover your crops in the fall

Lastly, you should plant a fall cover crop every year. When you leave garden soil bare during the winter, you run the risk of creating next year’s weeds. Aside from preventing weeds from sprouting, cover crops help put nutrients back into the soil which your vegetable crop took out while they were growing.

Refrain from tilling and hoeing too much to keep your garden weed-free and don’t forget to put mulch to keep your crops healthy.

Sources include:

OldWorldGardenFarms.com

SundayGardener.net

When SHTF, you need to still wipe your butt. The collapse of modern society aside, it is necessary that you still maintain good sanitary practices so that you stay alive. Without proper sanitation, it becomes incredibly easy for germs to wreak havoc and potentially decimate entire populations.

In order to see the full extent of what improper sanitation can do to your health, let us look at an extreme example. Kibera, which is located in Nairobi, Kenya, is considered Africa’s largest slum and is part of the top 10 worst slums in the world. There are approximately 2.5 million dwellings in this settlement, representing 60 percent of the Nairobi population occupying just six percent of the land. There are no toilet facilities in most of Kibera, and one latrine — which is usually just a hole in the ground — is shared by up to 50 shacks or households. Disease and malnutrition are widespread here, and a fifth of children die before their fifth birthday. Half of Kibera’s population are children under the age of 15, many of whom have become orphaned by AIDS.

We may have it easier here in America, but that doesn’t mean that we can disregard the importance of sanitation when life as we know it turns on its head. Humans need to expel waste regularly to keep our own bodies clean. This means that, no matter what happens, all of us have to keep our backsides clean as well as our hands in the aftermath.

The dirty truth about dookie

Unsanitary conditions can lead to severe illnesses. Human waste is a huge source of contamination in this regard, both as a primary and secondary vector.

Direct contact with feces means possible infection from germs until you thoroughly cleanse and sanitize your hands. Animals are also attracted to waste, and everything from rodents to dogs to insects will gather around your daily deposits, and in turn become possible vectors of disease.

An average adult will produce three-quarters to one pound of solid waste a day. This waste can be deposited in one or more movements, which means that you will have contact with your backside one to three times a day on average. As a result, you will need to wash and sanitize your hands this many times lest they contaminate everything else they touch. (Related: Staying healthy after SHTF: Best hygiene practices.)

How to stay clean

After you do number 2, you will need to wipe somehow. The best way to do this is with toilet paper. This is why we generally recommend that you begin stockpiling this item now way before SHTF.

If you run out of toilet paper, you will need to use something else. Let’s take a look at some alternatives:

• Paper from books, magazines, or newspapers — This can work well, but heavily inked paper can become slippery and hard to manage, especially when wet. The ink may also stain your backside and introduce more germs. Newspapers are also quite stiff and may tear your skin if used incorrectly. We recommend that you crumple up the paper several times before wiping so that they become soft enough to use.
• Cloth — This is a reliable go-to. Just make sure that your cloth is clean before you wipe! Do not use rags or anything else that has been chemically contaminated.
• Leaves — Generally a good idea, but take the time to choose one that is not from a poisonous plant. Leaves are fairly comfortable to use, and are generally plentiful.
• Snow — This has the added benefit of cleaning your butt while wiping.

Whichever method you decide on, remember to always wash your hands after.

Read more articles on how to stay clean even after SHTF at Preparedness.news.

Sources include:

TheSurvivalistBlog.net

BorgenProject.org

Kibera.org.uk

Nyumbani.org.uk

Healthline.com