One thing people often neglect when considering survival living is food storage and preservation. It all sounds so easy- dry it, smoke it, make containers for it…but each has its own challenges and learning curve. So much depends on the variables of your environment. Dried food doesn’t stay dry if it’s exposed to humidity or liquids, rawhide doesn’t store food well in the same conditions. Pottery is great, but is a whole skill set in itself. So it’s wise not to neglect experimenting with these important skills. Try drying some foods- fruits can be dried in the sun, but greens need the shade. Try smoking some meat on a primitive rack and see the challenges. Some of my biggest have been yellow jackets- especially with turkey jerky. Man, they were relentless. Experiment with temperatures- how well do things store in the cool of the ground? How do you store potatoes so they don’t rot? All fun experiments that can teach us a lot about making the food we’ve gathered at great cost, stay viable until we need it. And finally, there’s the little cooking tip. With no refrigeration, what do you do with leftovers? Well, the photo of my stew is a stew that was started about six weeks ago. It’s never been refrigerated, and I’ve never been sick. The trick? It needs to be brought to a boil every day or two. The cooler the weather, the longer I’ve tested that, but it is definitely fine to eat if boiled every day. Any bacteria that had started to grow are killed each day. If it’s a fatty stew, the fat can also seal out the bacteria from reaching the food. I just add meat every 5-7 days and vegetables every 2-3 days and the it’s fine. It’s also constantly changing so I don’t get bored with it and it tastes great and is very nutritious. So have some fun experimenting with food.
Categories: Primitive Living Skills
