Preparedness Lessons from COVID-19

[wyoDreamer]

My Aunt & Uncle had both. The upright was for everyday use - it was refilled from the chest freezer when supply got low. They bought the chest freezer first, but my aunt had trouble reaching stuff in it, so my uncle bought the upright for her. He would go down stairs every Saturday morning and re-stock for her.

 

[Daisy]

Yeah, I thought he chest freezer would be better too! I was surprised when that person told me it wasn't. I tend to doubt myself when even one person says I am wrong. Its probably why I am dragging my feet on aquaponics too cos people here tell me its a dumb idea.

I'm glad to have a bit more info now so I can reassess, cos chest freezers are cheaper to buy new than upright and I would prefer it because it would fit better in the kitchen. The power goes out pretty often here too. Thanks everyone for the info and experience

 

[farmerjan]

A couple of tricks for a chest freezer. Use some sort of containers to keep stuff in. I use cardboard boxes, not too big, so that stuff doesn't get "lost" into the bottom. Plastic totes/tubs are okay, but they are tapered so you will have some lost space but you can see in them. I put plastic down, on the bottom of the freezer, so that the cardboard boxes don't "stick". Mark on the outside what is in there. If you are a planner, it is easier to put a meal or 2 of meat, vegs, all together in small boxes so to make it easier to find. Or put all the blueberries in one strawberries in another, all the green beans, in another. I vacuum pack everything so the packages are slippery so the cardboard boxes are great.

 

[Chic Rustler]

I've learned i need a bigger garden, more meat sources and to always keep an extra rooster, whether you need him or not

 

[Mini Horses]

I have a few extra roos! I keep some in a "bachelor pad" away from others. They are fed & ready for service or butchering as the needs require. Olders will make the stew pot and young hatched this year will take the space up & grow to butcher size. I have broody hens & fertile eggs.

I've learned that I'm pretty prepared. Yeast was my ONLY low stock. I resolved that!! Found some. I'm good for a couple years. Freezers, canned goods, pantry full. Plenty of TP because I stay stocked.

For me, my animals feed are my greatest concern....I mean, they are fine, stores open and all but -- what if? So keeping a larger stockpile of hay (like I used to do!!) is my goal. Reseeding some pastures with things that will "winter" this year. More home raised feeds are my goal. I have mangel beet seed, turnips, winter wheat, etc. I found chicory seed today....have several clovers, alfalfa, peas, etc. to help winter forage and storage feeds. I look to regrowth & nutrition value. In my area, many in ground items can be mulched and used as needed....veggies, etc., for human & animals.

This yr will really make us all look hard at our operations. While I have a generator that can plug into "house meter", it takes gasoline. Obviously, a propane unit would be more desirable as I could keep far more in a tank to operate longer. A goal for the future. Now -- I'm blessed to have what I do!!

 

[wyoDreamer]

I was looking at making small amounts of Haylage for feeding the chickens for the winter. It is alot like silage, but made with grass in garbage bags. I will have to look at my "reference" computer for directions if anyone is interested, but basically it is just grass that is cut and put into the garbage bags and allowed to an-aerobically ferment. It can be stored all winter and fed out as needed.

Big question is - would my chickens eat it? They can get pretty picky.

My Reference Computer is an old computer that no longer connects to the internet, but has big storage capacity on the hard drive. It holds my recipes, patterns and SS info. Lots of PDF's.

 

[BarredBuff]

The only thing with that is that chickens are not ruminants; therefore, they are not going to use grass and forage like a cow or sheep would.

I have some chicken quarters that have been in the freezer for a while. I need to can them. I am worried about freezer burn. How will I know if they are okay to use or not?

 

[Hinotori]

I haven't tried haylage. One of my books describes how to do the garbage bag method.

I do give the chickens flakes of alfalfa in winter. They eat the leaves and the stems are good mud control. We have grass most of the year here which they eat. Only summer is short on grass.

 

[Hinotori]

The only thing with that is that chickens are not ruminants; therefore, they are not going to use grass and forage like a cow or sheep would.

I have some chicken quarters that have been in the freezer for a while. I need to can them. I am worried about freezer burn. How will I know if they are okay to use or not?

I can always smell freezer burn. If it's very light, you can rinse the item off and it takes care of most of it as the ice crystals get the smell and flavor first.

 

[tortoise]

freezer burn is not a big deal. If it bothers you, slice it thin and marinade in a strong flavor. I use it for stir fry. I was cooking old freezer burnt venison when my MIL dropped by. Oh, the embarrassment. But, my MIL didn't even recognize it as venison! 🥳