Getting Ready For Change - The Suburban Warrior

The people who think that nothing that dramatic will happen are all over the place. Mostly because the human mind is not built to think of "insecure" possibilities. Life is challangeing enough without the need to consider basic survival as well. However, that is precisely what we need to do. We need to be both experts at living our daily lives and experts at formulating what if's scenarios. Is this tricky? Yup. For most it is down right impossible. Nothing in the world could be more confusing than focusing on the future and all the wonderful possibilities and dreams for ourselves and our children and then at the same time having to make a 360 degree turn in mental focus and entertain all of the ugly possibilities. Make no mistake about this. The very foundation of all that is good and functioning is at risk. Let me illustrate.

The typical American Dream. People all over the world chase this dream. Just a new name for dreaming of the future and all its possibilities. We seem to be naturally wired to this thinking. And it makes sense. The natural state of any human being is to want to improve his or her station oin life. Pass all they learn in to "the kids" and watch in awe as our chidren "out do" us in their lives. Kinda like the master laying down to become the bridge for the student. This is life moving forward one family at a time all over the world. Making large changes to the world and its possibilties one family at a time. Where things get tricky is when this very basic "life must move forward" mentality gets side tracked by evil things outside of our control. And while I am a very "we make our own destiny" kinda guy, it is not only silly but irresponsible to think that large country wide swaths of change cannot happen. And have no doubt that powerful people are in a position to see that it gets get bad. For there own reasons. Conspiracy is the topic for other places though. Here at The Next Leap we need to urgently focus on what we can do right now given the reality of the situation we face. Lets begin with a partial list of the various changes happening all around us.

The economy and fractional reserve banking is finished. Any fiat currency has a shelf life of about 80 years. That is the life span of possible exspandtion and contraction of any particular currency and its inflation and de-flation cycles. Not only is the worlds reserve currency finished "on paper" but the system governing global banking "aka" Bretton Woods has seen its last days.

Weather or not this system remains propped up or not you can be assured that we will see DRAMATIC global economic changes. How does this affect you? In all ways possible. Any part of your life that money touches (and has been set up that way) will become areas of major concern. This one suject alone connects back to all other areas of concern at The Next Leap.

Natural Disasters. Did you know that SIGNIFICANT natural disasters have increased in occurrence by nearly 400% since the 1950's? And the economic costs of those disasters have risen about 1400%? Endless speculation as to why this is happening is being debated all over the world. Different groups have different theories and most agree that big changes are occurring. Global Warming? I dont know. It does not matter because it is happening. You will not stop it now so dont worry about the why's.

The Bee colonies all over the world are collapsing. Information on this subject is easy to find if you go looking for it. I serioulsy doubt you will hear about it on the main stream media but lots of information is available in "other" places. Google it. You will be shocked. What does this mean?

Well let me put it this way...Start to grow your own food now. Start to stock pile "long shelf life"

foods and supplies now. Colony collaspe disorder as it is called is a much bigger problem than you are likley aware. I highly recommend getting educated on this one subject alone. What do bees do? They pollunate everything. Our food supply is at risk from this one issue. I do not envy those in the government who have to attempt to deal with this.

The composition of the ice in both the Artic and the Antartic is changing. In the Antartic massive ice feilds the size of small countries are breaking off the ice shelf. In the Artic the over all volume of ice in the dead of winter has been getting smaller. The very ecosystem of the planet will be and has already started to change. Look into it. Educate yourself. Get informed.

My personal favorite is the Sun itself. The sun is undergoing a dramatic cyclical change. Obviously we can't really measure it because humanity is so young, but scientist have been observing some wild things. Remember the Sun makes up 90% of all matter in our solar system.

Again look around a bit.

The Ostrich Syndrome. From my person experience I have observed that most people whom I talk to about these various things simply do not want to "hear it". I am not sure of the true reasons for this other than I suspect over whelming fear. The problem with this is that the more peolpe that do not take responsibility, the heavier the burden will be on those that do.

And that my friends is not fair. I am not convinced that humanity has "destroyed" the planet.

I simply do not know. What I do know is that this is happening. The governments around the world are well aware of it as well. Be certain of that. What contigency plans are the they making? Are you going to wait and see how it goes? I would hope not.

And in the mean time begin training your mind to live in a dual world where on one hand every thing is rosy (because it needs to be) and on the other things are changing very quickly. Start to prepare yourself for taking "dramatic" action when getting ready for the change that is with out any shadow of a doubt coming. [http://the-next-leap.blogspot.com]

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Canning and Dehydrating Foods For the Suburban Prepper

What is Jarring? Jarring is a method of food storage that enables you to store food for long periods of time. Being relatively easy to do with a little practice you will find that you can stock pile food to last at least three months. If you can do more, that is better, but three months is a great start.

A quick history of Canning.

In 1795 the French Army offered money to anyone who could discover a way to preserve food.

Years later in 1809 Nicolas Appert discovered a way to preserve food by heating a "Hermetically" sealed container. Although he new that the removal of air was important he did not fully understand why. The French Army awarded him the prize for discovering a way to store food for long periods of time. Google Nicolas Appert for a full history.

There may be a day when the food you have in dry storage is all you have access to. If you live in an apartment you likely have some small storage space. Think now about how you can utilize the space you have for shelves to maximize the area you have to work with. Build or install shelves from floor to ceiling on all walls leaving just enough room for the door to open. Hopefully in a short time you will have these shelves full of stored food.

Basic canning check list.

The Equipment. Look around your local area for high-tempered glass Jars made to with stand the heat from the canning process. Look in the local buy and sell, Farmers Market and news paper. In some cases hardware stores will have some as well. Ask around in your family. Chances are "Grandma" has some stored in the basement from years gone by.

1. Make sure all of your equipment is clean, rust free, and not bent or cracked.

2. Pick only firm ripe fruit or vegetables. No bruises or blemishes. Be sure you have a good commercial anti-darkener or ascorbic acid.

3. Choose your Syrup or Liquid

4. Choose your processing method

5. Proper lifting of the jars.

6. Cooling jars.

7. Checking the seals.

8. Proper storage.

Be sure you have new lids. If this is not possible thoroughly check you lids to be certain that they are in good condition. When pre-cleaning your jars boil them for 2 minutes to sterilize them.

Be certain the screw lids function properly and have no rust and no "sleight" bends in them.

When you are preparing your fruit or vegetables, prepare only the amount you can work with at any given time to avoid dis-coloring.

The different types of syrups for canning are. Sugar syrups. Corn Syrup. Honey. Fruit Juice. If you choose to use a sweetener. Remember that slight sweetening can help acidic fruits taste better after they have been stored for a while.

You will want to decide if you are going to raw pack or hot pack. Use a plastic or rubber knife or spatula to remove air bubbles. Clean the rims of the jars. Applying the lids. Follow the manufactures directions. They generally recommend placing the lids in boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes to ensure a proper seal.

Remember when processing that the altitude where you live effects the processing time. The higher the altitude the longer you wait. Be very careful when lifting your jars form the boiling water using a proper lifter made for canning. Allow the jars to cool on a clean dry wooden surface, metal rack, or folded towels. Be sure the surface is not cold as this will make the jars crack.

Let the jars cool in a draft free area with a small space between each so air can circulate.

As the jars cool you will hear the "famous" pop as the lid cools. When this happens you know you have got a good seal. Label and date your jars and store in you storage area.

Remember that techniques like canning from times gone by may become essential skills in the future. Learning how and why this works so well for the safe storage of food will help you to feel empowered and less dependent on the system. Knowing that you can "own" this process is a crucial step you can take in your plans to prepare you and your family for "difficult times.

Food Dehydration is another effective method for long term storage of food.

Removing moisture from food is an effective method for long term storage of food that inhibits bacteria growth. Most food s can be dehydrated indoors using a variety of methods.

These methods can include Air drying. Using your conventional oven. If you want to invest some money into it you can purchase a counter top confection oven or a dehydrator.

There are several varieties of food that can be dehydrated and although each have different techniques it is well worth your time to learn this skill. Dehydrated foods require less space to store and can last a very long time when stored properly.

A Mind Set Re-adjustment

When you commit your self to learning how to Can a Dehydrate food you are making an important shift in mental focus. A major problem we face in society is our dependence on the system for very basic things. There is no reason for people to loose the ability to take proper care of themselves in the long term. Running down to the store for all of our needs every day is NOT taking care of our selves. And will do nothing when major change forces us to re-adjust at the last minute. Preparation skills can not be learned over night. That is why it is essential to start now. Go through the learning curve when there is no pressure to perform.

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