Light up the Night! Tips on Emergency Lighting

Living in the Florida Keys we are tied to the mainland by what I call the extension cord; our umbilical cord of power and water sent to us by south Florida.  Although we do have some limited back-up power in the Keys the chances of losing power here is pretty high. Hurricanes storms and even crashes along our one-way-in-one-way-out road can leave us in the dark.

People are pretty adaptive and can handle a lot of stressful situations, but one that is a real moral killer is not being able to see when you want to. Being without a light source limits your day and also permits your mind to wander about what's out there....in the dark.  Power outages can be even more stressful with small children that might be used to a night light or the comfort of being able to sleep with the lamp on.  One way that families can shed some light on a "power out" situation is to have a ready supply of lighting.  Below I will list some options that will help you light up the night.

 



The first option for lighting is one that I think the majority of households have....Flashlights!  Flashlights come in all shapes and sizes.  If you are in a home without a flashlight, I would recommend that you go to your nearest big box store or online and buy one!  Look for the best LED flashlight you can afford.  I say afford because there are flashlights out there that will blind a mole, but they can be hundreds of dollars!  Also keep in mind that the brighter the light, the more energy it uses.  You are looking for a good quality, sealed, metal framed LED flashlight that has good run time on a set of batteries.

Now that you have your flashlight, buy a back-up, then buy a back-up for the back-up! There are lots of options, like small key ring LED lights that I have on my keys, headlamp lights for working with your hands in the dark (which you never have to do, right?), bike lights for riding your bike to your neighbors house in the dark for a cup of sugar, etc.  The Coleman lantern above is nice and bright and runs the LED light on 4 D batteries for 134 HRs!  Think about what you do during the day and then imagine it being pitch black, get a light that helps you perform that task!

The second option is what I group under the "fuel lighting" category.  Options in this category include propane, kerosene, lamp oil, Coleman type "white gas" fuel, veggie oil lamps and candles.  I consider candles a fuel light cause they burn up like a fuel.  The idea here is to have multiple options and back-ups in case that 1 hr power outage turns into a few days without power.  Look for candles with a long burn time, but the smelly good ones will work too, especially when the food in the fridge starts turning!

With this type of  lighting keep safety in mind; the carbon monoxide produced by these lights can kill you in a well sealed house with no ventilation.  Its also wise to practice with them so that you are familiar with how they work, and so that you know what to expect.  Also keep fire safety in mind.

Crank and solar type lights are available all over the place now.  Although they are a little pricey the option to have "unlimited" power is hard to overlook.  Don't go cheap here go with a good quality item.  The red ETON emergency radio works well, the cheap crank/solar flashlight not as much, so do your research.

Your lighting preps should always be backed up with a robust supply of parts and fuel.  Coleman mantels, wicks, matches, batteries, and fuel all need to be replaced or refilled.  Remember that filling up your kerosene lamps and letting them sit in the garage for 6 months will leave you with a bunch of empty lamps from evaporation.  Store your equipment correctly and in good working order, If you take care of it, it will take care of you when you need it.

I hope that this has been informative and will help you begin your own emergency lighting kit.  If you're reading this that means you have power and that means time to go buy some light!

Budget Minded in Preps: How the best deals are in your home town.

Living here in the Florida Keys, preparing for a storm or long term power outage is a common thing.  Since we basically live out in the middle of the ocean, connected only by a 2 lane highway, people can relate to the idea that we might need to make it a few days without the comforts of the real world. Since more and more people are realizing this, (thank God), a lot of money is being spent just by clicking the mouse with not much thought. When I think of prepping, I think of recycling, making do, rebuilding, and inventing. There are a lot of items that people get rid of at thrift stores and yard sales that are useful preps.  Below I will show you several items that didn't cost that much money, but when they are needed are worth their weight in gold.

First up is a Coleman Cooler and a Thermos picnic kit. Just because your roughing it doesn't mean that you can't look good doing it! These Items cost a total of 3.00 dollars....yep....3 bucks. These old steel belted coolers are some of the best as keeping ice, and thermos does a great job with hot and cold liquids. Other perks: Made in the USA, Vintage Cool, and CHEAP!

Water filtration is very important for day to day use, as well as when your water system has been compromised in some way.  Although there are other options and methods that are cheaper than these I only spent a total of 12.00 dollars for the two filters!!

Next is light, a luxury when the power is out.  All these light sources were picked up at thrift stores or yard sales. I probably spent a total of 18.00 dollars for the lanterns below. Try going to your local Wally World and pick up a (Made in China) Coleman Lantern for under 18 bucks, its not going to happen. All these lanterns were made with pride right here in the USA, and will last forever if maintained correctly.

 

 

Propane Coleman $5

Propane Bernz-o-Matic $4

Coleman gas lantern $4

Coleman gas lantern with case $5

Just last weekend I picked up all these Coleman prep items for 14 bucks, they all work as they should, just needed the dust and years of neglect wiped off of them (maybe a tune-up). So before you spend all that hard earned money on brand new preps,  try running around to some of your local thrift stores and yard sales, You might just save enough to get that Red Ryder BB Gun for Ralphie! Merry Christmas everyone!

Fix it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without - The life of a bait knife

I was cleaning out my boat the other day and found an old bait knife that had been forgotten on board. This thing was rough, sprayed by seawater and left for dead any normal person would just throw it out and run to the store to buy the next replacement. I looked at that knife and said, "Fix it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without." That knife has done a good job cutting up ballyhoo and pilchards for hungry schooling Mahi-Mahi, I felt like I owed the little bugger a clean-up.

First, let me tell you that this is no show knife, I don't have this displayed in my glass knickknack cabinet. This is a work knife a little rust is not going to hurt it. My best advice is to NOT LET YOUR KNIVES GET THIS BAD!!!!! With that being said you will see in the pictures that there still is a little pitting on the blade, but the transformation is remarkable for the amount of rust that was present.

Here is what it looked like before I started.

The other knife is an old craftsman knife that my grandmother owned, I just thought I would throw it in the pictures (I did clean it up too!).

Since this was a stainless steel knife I reached for the product that I always start out with when It comes to stainless steel. Bar Keepers Friend. A friend indeed! Remember stainless is Stain-LESS, not rust proof!

Next I grabbed a sponge with a green scrubbing pad on one side. If your knife has normal light rust then you can use the yellow or non coarse side of the sponge.

Sprinkle some Bar Keepers Friend on the knife wet the sponge and then go to town on it. I like to hold the knife right at the edge of the counter so that the blade lays flat on the surface that way I can put more back into it. Like I said before this is an extreme example. Even with the rust I had on my knife I got the majority off in less time than I could drive to the store and bust out another 15 to 20 bucks for a new bait knife!

Here is what it looked like after several minutes of scrubbing.

Not too bad for what someone would normally throw away! Another product I use for all things metal is Never Dull. I have used this stuff for years, and it works great. If you need a little more rust removal on your blade you can use Never Dull, fine grit sandpaper and even fine steel wool.

Like I said before this is not a show piece knife so I don't really care about having a perfect blade. If you have a really nice knife always start with the least abrasive method first, If you hit your nice knife with 60 grit sandpaper your not going to like the outcome. When your done cleaning the blade make sure you give it a good sharpening and hit it with some type of protective oil. Keep in mind food grade knives verses survival/outdoor knifes for the type of protective oil you use.

So don't throw out that old steak knife that has been sitting in your garage for 30 years, "Fix it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without."

2 For 1 Pineapples!! If you can wait!

So you buy a nice organic pineapple from the store, cut the top off, skin it, get down to the meat and throw the rest away right? Not so fast! What if I told you that you could grow another pineapple?
Keep reading and I will show you how.

First step is to cut the top of the pineapple off. Give yourself a little room on the top, but you don't need much cause you're after the green top of the fruit.

Then peel your pineapple from top to bottom, using a nice sharp knife. You will want to get the eyes out (they hold the pineapple seeds, yes pineapples have seeds). A tip to cutting the eyes out is to cut a couple at a time on an angle so you don't waste any of the delicious meat. You can core the pineapple if you wish, but I like to eat the whole fruit.

Here is what it should look like after peeling and cutting out the eyes of the pineapple.

The angle cuts you see are from removing the eyes.  Now you want to slice up and enjoy your pineapple as usual, but don't throw out that top! Gently peel the rest of the meat away from the pineapple stem. It should look like the picture below when you are done.

Now taking the stem in you hands begin peeling the pineapple leaves away from the bottom.  Keep going around the pineapple until you have about and inch to an inch and a half of bare stem.  The picture below shows how it should look.

Now you want to put the pineapple stem in a container of water; such as in the picture below.  Change the water out regularly and in a few weeks time you will have roots on the stem!

Once you get to this point its time to plant the pineapple in some soil.  The plant should grow up to make a pineapple of its own in due time.  And then you can start the process over again!  I hope you will save your pineapple tops and try this for yourself.  It's always an accomplishment when you can grow something with your bare hands!

Willie's Sausage Dip! It's slap your momma good!!!!

Quite often I am requested to make my world famous sausage dip.  Whether it be for an office party, tailgating, or just for the heck of it, this stuff is always a hit.  More often than not my slow cooker insert comes back so clean I can hardly tell it even had any dip in it! Although this dip is super good I only make it for special occasions as it can be a little.....well.....not so good for you in the fat category.  I would like to try it with a leaner meat sausage such as bison or deer but more often than not I just use the store bought pork sausage.  You could also use the lower fat cream cheese or a different substitute, this stuff is pretty hard to mess up!

Now for the ingredients:

You will need:

• 4 8oz boxes of cream cheese.  I like Original Philadelphia.
• 2 16oz packs of sausage. I'm using Maple and Regular, but you can use any combination.
• 2 10oz cans of ROTEL tomatoes and chilies. I use a hot and mild, but you can change to suit your heat tolerance.
• You will also need some chips, bread squares or fingers to dip your dip with! Scoop type chips work well.

First you want to brown up your sausage.  Nothing browns up sausage like my old trusty cast iron frying pan. Drain and set aside.

Now you want to open your tomatoes and pour both cans into a pan. (large enough for all ingredients). Warm at medium heat.

One at a time, add your cream cheese, while stirring.  Keep adding until you have the 4 packs incorporated into the tomatoes.

It should look like this once your cream cheese is all melted.

Now its time to add your browned and drained sausage.

Mix well and you're Done! It is that easy! Your friends and family will love you and your personal trainer will hate you. But hey, that's what New Year's resolutions are for right!!!

Thirsty? Try Switchel!

Here in South Florida we have a lot of hot, humid days. One way to quench your thirst, is by grabbing one of the pricey sports drinks off the shelf of the supermarket.  I don't know the last time you checked the label on one of those things but, wow...there is a lot of junk in them. I am a huge supporter of just drinking water when working up a sweat, but sometimes you need a little change of pace. Enter the age old Switchel, a delicious drink made with water, pure cider vinegar, some ground ginger and half a cup of sweet molasses. Recipes for this drink can be found in The Whitehouse Cookbook (1887) and in other "old-timey" books. Below I will teach you how you can make it at home for about the same price (sometimes less) than those sports drinks, and guess what? This stuff is actually good for you! 

To start, here's the ingredients:

• Pure Organic Apple Cider Vinegar (look for "with mother" on back label)
• Sweet Molasses
• Fresh Ginger
• Filtered Water

First, I start out by cutting a piece of ginger, maybe an inch long (I like Ginger so cut to your tastes) adding it to four cups of water that I have added to a Blendtec Blender. You don't need a blender for this recipe, just grate the ginger or use dry ginger (but raw is better for you!). One Teaspoon if your using the dry ginger. Blend until ginger is completely grated.

Now its time to add the rest of the ingredients.

Mix 1/2 cup Sweet Molasses, 1 cup Organic Apple Cider Vinegar and the ginger water together.
That's it! you're done. Just chill and serve on ice for a refreshing, healthy, and thirst quenching drink!

Total cost for this delicious nectar is about $1.10 a quart. Not much different than a Sports Drink price, you just have to grab a couple more items at the store. Hey, its good enough for the Whitehouse!