What have you done this week to prep? PART II

[Bugzilla]

The generator company called this week and they have the generator. Now I‘m in hyper mode getting the spot where it will set ready.

Generator installed this past Tuesday. Storm this morning and the generator appears to be working as designed as the power is out and the generator is operating as I type this.

 

[dudley0]

Lost power for a few days.

Figured out I have been lazy since the move. Didn't think it would last long so let it ride for the first night. Freezers were fine. Fridge was getting iffy by the next morning.

Went and got the old genny which was not on site. One pull, squirt of fluid and second pull I was gtg. Got the fridge and freezer online. By this time all my UPS systems were drained.

Then I remembered that the new well is 240v and my little generator is only 110v. No problem as I have water stocked up.

Then I remembered the 275 gallon tote that I put in the basement before I built the walls around it. It is sitting there pretty as can be and completely empty. Plan was to insulate the area around it before I put it into place and filled it. Never got around to that. Still had enough water to do what needed done, but it wasn't as easy as it should have been.

Plenty of light when needed. Got hot upstairs so spent last night in the spare room in the basement. Jumpstart back pack was used to keep the phones charged so we could still play around. Read more of my book that I have been neglecting. Could have gotten the TV and network up but didn't want to tempt fate.

You see the generator has been in storage. I ran the bowl dry last use but the fuel was still in the tank. The rubber grommet had started to break apart, causing a problem with the carb, not to mention that then the tank was useless. Nobody local had the part, so I used some hillbilly ingenuity to semi solve the problem.

Took the new push mower I just got, set it up on a box above the genny and routed the hose from mower tank to generator. Didn't have anything else handy. It worked but the tank was so small I was needing to fill it every 40+ minutes. Kept the cold stuff cold, the batteries charged and then let it run dry. Rinse and repeat when the temp gun said to.

I got lazy, complacent and just plain stupid.

 

[Biggredchev]

Decided against getting a 10k generator head for my garden tractor. Picked up this tri-fuel unit saturday. Has a Kholer engine so it should be good for a while.
Also grabbed another saw off ebay. Got the bar and chain mounted, runs and cuts great. Ill keep my new 450 rancher dry and nice until i need it.

 

[Bugzilla]

Necessity is the mother of invention. So is procrastination!

 

[Ark]

Picked up a couple of NATO style fuel cans. Not getting into major fuel preps, just want to have another fill-up for the little car on hand.

 

[Magyars]

I've been re-purposing on old trailer frame into a she-shed, 8X10, will also serve as a hunting blind and I could house family or friends in a SHTF situation.
Using what metal siding I have plus the old deck boards.....

 

[Magyars]

Continue to work on the shack...while the Mrs makes strawberry jam, cans ground meat and corn is next.....while pepper polices the floor!

 

[dudley0]

I miss my lab. He loved food from heaven. Anything dropped was fair game. Wife dropped an entire polish sausage once... he sucked it up in one bite.

Less then one minute later it was back on the floor, whole. Guess the heat from the pan was too much.

 

[jerrob]

Picked up another half bushel of green beans at our local farmer's market Saturday.
We canned 16 pints since that's the max load in my All-American 925. The wife made a giant pot of them for our dinners next week.
Last week we blanched off another half bushel and vacuum packed them to save our jars for venison this fall.
Our plan, come November, is not to own an empty Ball jar or have room for a popsicle in any of our freezers.

 

[tim87tr]

Picked up another half bushel of green beans at our local farmer's market Saturday.
We canned 16 pints since that's the max load in my All-American 925. The wife made a giant pot of them for our dinners next week.
Last week we blanched off another half bushel and vacuum packed them to save our jars for venison this fall.
Our plan, come November, is not to own an empty Ball jar or have room for a popsicle in any of our freezers. View attachment 220602

Nice. I'm looking to get a pressure canner soon. Any recommendations? Yours appears to be top end from the price online now. Some aren't in stock. I'd looked at a Presto online.

Been using the pressure cook function on the Ninja Foodie for so many things but can't can with it.

 

[Bugzilla]

Did our first attempt at pressure canning green beans. Did 6 pints. Apparently had the lids too tight on 3 as they buckled. Lesson learned. Try 12 pints tomorrow. Friend gave my an All American 915 a few years ago that he picked up. I was shocked at what they cost. Changed the spring relief to the dead weight and put in new blow out plug. Plan is no garden produce goes to waste.

 

[jerrob]

Nice. I'm looking to get a pressure canner soon. Any recommendations? Yours appears to be top end from the price online now. Some aren't in stock. I'd looked at a Presto online.

Been using the pressure cook function on the Ninja Foodie for so many things but can't can with it.

I used a Presto for years, matter of fact, ran 2 to reduce down time. There's nothing wrong with them at all. If budget was an issue, buy ya a couple of em and spend your savings on jars and lids.
I went with the All-American for their volume and they are bomb proof (no pun intended). No rubber gasket and once ya figure out the sweet spot on your stove, it doesn't get easier.
There's a larger All-American than mine (941) and I'm thinking about pulling the pin as it does twice the quarts my current one does. The 925 is best for pints as it does 16 in 2 layers of 8.

 

[tim87tr]

I used a Presto for years, matter of fact, ran 2 to reduce down time. There's nothing wrong with them at all. If budget was an issue, buy ya a couple of em and spend your savings on jars and lids.
I went with the All-American for their volume and they are bomb proof (no pun intended). No rubber gasket and once ya figure out the sweet spot on your stove, it doesn't get easier.
There's a larger All-American than mine (941) and I'm thinking about pulling the pin as it does twice the quarts my current one does. The 925 is best for pints as it does 16 in 2 layers of 8.

Great info. I'd looked at extra seals for the Presto so will definitely consider the All American no seal metal to metal. I saw there's a 915 15 qt for 10 pints/7quarts for $260, out of stock at Walmart. Appears to be a single stack, good starter one. All American website shows projected ETA on backorders so maybe I can find one somewhere soon. Price on 915 isn't a big difference compared to the Presto.

 

[jerrob]

A quick run through my local Wal-Martian store's canning isle and I see they are restocked to the gills on about everything.
Ball WM lids for sub $5 and I've instantly replenished what I've used this year and then some.
I'm gonna be a nice guy and let others have a chance to re-stock but come Monday, what's left, is mine.............. all mine.

 

[teddy12b]

Today is one of the first times I've bought ammo in years. Smokey mountain knife works has my preferred 22lr at a price that's decent for todays world. I picked up a case of Federal automatch and probably overpaid by $50 - $75. Could be worse, but I'll have 325 x 10 = 3,250 rounds of 22lr at my door in a week or so and my training ammo is now fully stocked up again. There's worse decisions I've made for $235.

 

[Mij]

Boiled/cleaned 5 doz. Victor 1.75 coils, same 3 doz. 110 coni’s.
Wax tomorrow. With left over from last year got ~ 200 for this season. Started making calls to update permission book.

 

[Magyars]

We've been dehydrating a good bit latley...onions, tomatoes, cherries, potatoes.

 

[jerrob]

We've been dehydrating a good bit latley...onions, tomatoes, cherries, potatoes.

Dehydrating has always fascinated me, just never added it to my arsenal of food preservation.

 

[Thor]

Dehydrating has always fascinated me, just never added it to my arsenal of food preservation.

Home made jerky...that should be enough to get you going. I'm eating some right now...

 

[Magyars]

Cut and split around a cord yesterday.
I'm still sore and worn out.
The ground seems to be getting further away