Recycling Number Ten Cans

Any time you have survivalists you also have those large number 10 cans that are used to store their dehydrated foods in. It is only good sense to use what you store and store what you eat. With that thought in mind your food storage should be properly rotated. When new cans of food are introduced to your pantry the older ones should be used up first.

Eventually a survivalist will end up with an abundance of empty number 10 cans and wonder what useful purpose he could put these items to. I can ask yourself what you can do when you have those empty cans available. Each time I go to place one in a recycle bin I keep thinking that there must be some useful thing that I could be accomplishing with it. These cans are great assets for other uses than just their original purpose. This article will hopefully cover several different unique and creative ways to reuse them. Some of the more common uses that I have come up with are listed below.

If you are a pet own they make a great way to store or to scoops out the pet food. As a scoop it will work great for horse and chicken foods. As indicated the number ten cans usually work best if used as a scoop for the larger animals.

It goes without saying that the empty cans have a variety of uses involving arts and craft projects. With a bit of glue and colored paper a child can be kept busy and happy for several hours during a rainy day in the house. They also can be crafted into a great drum for a toddler's toy. You can store your child's crayons in them or even small toys. If you are into making home made candles you would find them a great help for storing melted paraffin.

Out in the garage you can clean paint brushes with them or even use the cans to transfer paint to allow several people so they can use the paint from the same paint can. They are good for storage of used motor oil when you change your cars lubricant.

Creative wives can often take an empty number ten can and make some fabulous accessories for their kitchen. They can skillfully decorate them to just about compliment any theme they might have in their kitchen. They can be spray painted with stickers attached for creating a personalized canister set. She can store cookies readily in them as well.

From a survivalist's point of view you can make yourself a tin can stove. These are useful in the event of a power failure or for storing in your bug out vehicle. They can be reused to store miscellaneous foods that are encased in Mylar pouches. They are perfect for storing small emergency bug out kits in your car. Don't forget their usefulness as targets when practicing your archery, gunnery or other marksmanship skills. If you have a boat many of the older fisherman claim the number ten cans are the best form to use when making a home made boat anchor.

You can't leave out the home office either as these cans can be very useful as a desk organizer. It can hold your extra pencils, pens, rulers or scissors with ease. These too can be lavishly decorated in any way you desire.

Most empty cans can make very effective flower pots for either indoor or outdoor planting. A little spray paint and a few decorating accessories added and you have a personalized work of art.

Your empty cans can add some interesting usefulness as caddies for the bathroom. They can hold your combs, hairbrushes and other hair accessories such as ponytail holders, hair bands or barrettes with ease - keeping them up and safely out of the way. Decorating your can is easy as explained above.

An interesting idea that is popular with youngsters is to create a time capsule using the empty cans. You can bury a new one every year or two adding such items as a local newspaper, the current postage stamp and other items that would prompt conversation in the future when opened.

If your son or daughter is in the scouts you could donate them for use as stilts or for transforming to buddy burners for upcoming camping trips.

As you can clearly see with a slight bit of imagination you can come up with a lot of different ways that you can reuse an empty number ten can. I have merely touched the surface of uses for these items. Use your imagination and some serious thought and I am certain you too can find some great uses for these empty cans.

Copyright @2010 Joseph Parish
Survival Training

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Creating An Emergency Preparedness Plan: Using Alpine Aire Foods for Long-Term Food Storage

Have you checked your cabinets recently? How much food is inside? Although these contents vary for everyone, only the barebones basics are typically present in this instance: a bag of rice, some flour, a tin of baking powder, a few cans of soup or vegetables, and spices. For everyday, on-the-go needs, this is normal - after all, planning too far ahead for food may make some items go bad - but have you ever considered what you would do if a disaster hit?

You're not alone or unique in this scenario, as the average household typically has less than a week's supply of food on hand. When the power goes out or a natural or personal disaster hits, the small amounts of these basic items aren't sufficient, however. Isolation by snow, a flood, a hurricane, or an earthquake may mean help might not reach you for a few days. Although a freak happening, a natural disaster has the possibility of cutting you off from others - and shutting you off from resources many simply take for granted.

Preparation beforehand is absolutely necessary - even for those who don't live in areas prone to disasters. Building up a survival food storage lets you be prepared for these instances, and should also be a lifestyle. Running out and buying a large supply of canned goods isn't sufficient enough, however stocking up on emergency survival foods over time gives you a well-rounded selection, a fuller pantry, and a clearer plan.

Initiating your plan for emergency preparedness starts with the basics: grains, beans, dehydrated milk, sugar, salt, oil, and seeds. Over time, the accumulation of these products in your pantry should result in a year's supply. But, on the other hand, you shouldn't survive alone on bread and milled grains after a disaster hits, and combining these standard items with dehydrated and freeze-dried food products results in a well-rounded diet.

Finding the right kit of emergency survival foods gets this step out of the way. Manufacturers like Alpine Aire, Provident Pantry, and Mountain House Foods put together such survival food kits, all of which contain #10 cans or pouches of freeze-dried or dehydrated foods. Foods by Alpine Aire, in particular, retain 98-percent of their original nutritional content and are packaged in cans made from heavy-gauge steel with food-grade enamel coating inside.

Preparation with foods by Alpine Aire and other manufacturers varies. In general, all products will need water. Freeze-dried foods simply need to be mixed with a small amount to rehydrate in a few minutes, while some dehydrated items should sit overnight. Additionally, emergency survival foods by Alpine Aire come as prepared meals or as individual ingredients. For the latter, rehydrated grains, proteins, and vegetables just need to be heated to form a meal. On average, following the instructions with kits by Alpine Aire and other manufacturers yields a diet of 1000 to 1800 calories per day.

Another factor to consider for long-term food storage is the lifespan of all items. Individual basics, such as grains and dehydrated milk, may not last as long as foods packaged in prepared kits by Alpine Aire. Freeze-dried foods in cans may last as long as 30 years, while dehydrated items five to 10 years. But other factors need to be considered, such as the quality of the food and its exposure to heat and light.

Food kept away for several years may experience some deterioration, as will items kept in containers. An airtight environment should be the home to your emergency survival foods, but this can become difficult once items are opened. Your space must be cool, dark, and dry for all items, and all unopened and opened products should be kept here.

Food in unopened cans must be consumed in a year. #10 cans contain multiple servings, and after the top is taken off, the remaining freeze-dried or dehydrated items inside are exposed to air and light. One suggestion after opening is repackaging all of the remaining food in a fully sealed container. Other options include using a commercially-available re-sealer or freezing the food.

All emergency survival foods, including your basics and long-term food storage packages, need to be kept in a dark and dry location, where the temperature is regularly between 55°F and 65°F. A basement, closet, or dry crawl space is ideal, and make sure not to stack cans too high. The area, additionally, should be free from other items; fumes from chemicals or cleaning products stored in the area, for example, could enter the containers. Enjoy storing food for your family and every day you add to your preparedness it only gets easier.



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Happy New Year!!

I have so many plans for this year. Saving money is the number one thing. I also want to go fishing more this year and hone my fishing skills. I have not been fishing in years. Fishing could become a lifesaver. There is a creek behind my house and I have seen others fishing in it. So I will give it a try.

What do you plan on doing in the upcoming year to get better prepared?????

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Urban Survival - Food Storage and Preparation

Global warming, climate change, eco-terrorism and an unstable economy should make American families think about returning to some of the practices of our grandparents.

Following a disaster, be it natural, or man-made, local emergency providers will probably be facing the same problems as the rest of the community. It can take three days, 72 hours, for anyone to come to your assistance, but in certain circumstances you may find yourself on your own for much longer than that.

We Americans take an endless supply of food for granted. Recent studies show that the average American family has less than a one week supply of food on hand. Grocery supermarkets and warehouses are the same.

Food storage is a major part of disaster preparedness and one that many people neglect to consider. In my articles I stress the need to be prepared to survive the 1st 72 hours following a disaster, but you would be well advised to store enough food your family to live for a month. In a true fuel crisis, in a widespread winter weather emergency, or following an act of terrorism, our normal food supplies will be depleted quickly.

In our unstable economy no one is sure if they will have a job next month, next week, or even tomorrow. Today, we Americans are more vulnerable to events beyond our control than we have been at any time since world War II. Food storage is an insurance policy that we can take to protect ourselves against such things as loss of power, job loss, unemployment due to injury or illness, or a loss of food supplies due to an interruption of food transportation.

This is not paranoia, survivalist thinking, or hoarding. It is a common sense practice that we have neglected because we could.

Here are some food storage tips that will make the practice more palatable, no pun intended.

The Basics

Always store a larger than normal supply of the basics, grains, dehydrated milk, sugar, salt, oil, flour, garden seeds and storable produce like potatoes, onions, beets, cabbage, etc.
Store food that is familiar and acceptable to your family and know how to prepare the food you store.
Use food from your stores that have a limited shelf life and replace them with fresh items, immediately.
If you have a limited budget, buy one item at a time until you have your stores in place.
Shopping at wholesale markets can save you a considerable amount of money on such things as salt, flour, oil and sugar.
Protect stored food from rodent and insect infestation by storing it in large tins. Empty potato chip cans make excellent storage containers. Many thrift stores and feed stores have these at rock bottom prices.
Once you have adopted this forgotten practice you will find that you actually feel better about your circumstances. Self-reliance is always better than depending on the charity of others who may, or may not, come to your rescue.

The author is currently certified by the Emergency management Institute under the auspices of FEMA and The Department of Homeland Security. He has been actively involved in disaster preparedness and survival techniques for more than half a century. You can get free up-to-date downloads and information about all facets of Urban Survival at: Dave Hardin Online


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