“Doomsday Prepper” In Training

Ever seen the show “Doomsday Preppers” or “Doomsday Bunkers”? I. AM. ADDICTED. To be perfectly honest, I am beyond terrified of said Doomsday. My side of the family (immediate) is spread out between Florida, Texas, and Utah, so I’m afraid that when (and IF in my lifetime) it happens I won’t be able to get to the people that matter most to me. Chris’s family is within 3 miles of us so at least we’re close to some family. Recently, we’ve discussed food storage and being prepared so naturally it made me want to watch those particular shows thinking maybe they would have some good ideas for me. Boy was that the understatement of the year. Each episode made me feel less and less prepared than the show before. It follows families who are in some cases obsessed or borderline obsessed with preparing for particular catastrophes (ex. The eruption of Yellowstone’s volcano, EMPs, Solar Flares, Earthquakes, even Zombies-YES, you read that right, Zombies). It was making me feel very inadequate and almost hopeless, as if it was too late to start preparing. But after some long talks, evacuation routes and “bug out” plans with my in laws and Chris’s brothers, I started feeling a little better about it. My parents were also great at easing my mind, reminding me that any preparation is better than no preparation, and that it’s kind of an ongoing thing. You don’t reach a point and just stop-you continue to update your storage and your emergency packs, depending on the shelf life or where you are in your life right now. Like for me right now, having a little one in diapers, I need diapers and wipes and rash cream in my 72 hour kit, and soft foods that he would be able to eat, water bottles or sippy cups that he knows how to drink out of; but as he gets older and potty trained and more experienced with harder foods, I know I won’t need diapers or wipes, or squeezeable fruit. (Although I must admit, the squeezeable fruit is delicious-shelf life is up to a year-great for on the go, and baby wipes ALWAYS come in handy with small children.) The show got a little fire going under my…and so I’ve become a “Prepper in Training”. Here is the start of my food storage: It doesn’t look like much, I know. However, I have lots of cupboard space in my kitchen so a lot of my storage is already in rotation and being used on a day to day basis like beans, canned veggies, rice, noodles, instant potatoes, dry cereal, etc. I was able to get a dehydrator and some air tight containers for storing things I dehydrate. I started out with some simple fruits; apples, bananas, strawberries, peaches, kiwi, and cantelope-all of which turned out amazing and the kids loved them. Then I tried out a fruit roll (otherwise known as a fruit roll up). That turned out a little crunchy, so I’ve got some tweaking to do on that recipe. But it still turned out tasting great. I’m thinking it would be really good in my morning cereal, a natural sweetner perhaps. After that, we attempted Jerky. Now jerky is a little tricky. You have to marinate it, watch it constantly, check consistency (chewy/crunchy) but still make sure it’s cooked thoroughly (especially chicken or turkey). We started out trying a simple Terriyaki recipe with “eye of the round” beef. Chris said it turned out great. I haven’t tried it yet, but I don’t doubt it. It smelled amazing the whole time it was cooking and filled our house with a mouthwatering aroma. I’m not obsessed like people on the show, but I’m realizing just how important it is to be prepared…for anything. I’m grateful that both my religion and my family support the idea of being prepared. Helps me sleep a little easier at night.