Survival Situaton

[IassaFTots]

We'd need a bauxite mine, a metal processing plant and a can factory though. 

seriously though, how did humans survive this? heh.

Smarty pants.  Dontcha know we CAN in JARS?

[The Village Idiot]

Smarty pants.  Dontcha know we CAN in JARS?

The survivors are going to have to scavenge for a while for mason jars etc. But after a while they are going to have to start manufacturing certain things again. That will be interesting, seeing civilization  resetting.

[The Village Idiot]

Along with digging that garden....you would need to dig a root celler, an ice house, and build a smokehouse.

Piece of cake....

dig the root cellar under the floor. ice house? probably not, probably have one in each "village" though, between the brewery and tavern/Inn. Smokehouses can be pretty small right?

[IassaFTots]

The survivors are going to have to scavenge for a while for mason jars etc. But after a while they are going to have to start manufacturing certain things again. That will be interesting, seeing civilization  resetting.

I ain't scavenging.  Thanks to my G-mom, I have CASES of em. 

[Thor]

With an ample garden, deer will automatically be attracted. They LOVE corn, soybeans, apples, melons and other fruits & veggies. I wouldn't waste productive garden land just to attract deer. That said, it wouldn't hurt to allow a little clover in the pasture land as cattle like that, too. Just remember, clover is a weed and will take over a lot of good native grasses. A better thing to plant would be alfalfa. Deer like that, too.

[The Village Idiot]

With an ample garden, deer will automatically be attracted. They LOVE corn, soybeans, apples, melons and other fruits & veggies. I wouldn't waste productive garden land just to attract deer. That said, it wouldn't hurt to allow a little clover in the pasture land as cattle like that, too. Just remember, clover is a weed and will take over a lot of good native grasses. A better thing to plant would be alfalfa. Deer like that, too.

What are the easiest, hardiest (durable) things to grow?

[debk]

What are the easiest, hardiest (durable) things to grow?

Squash, zucchini, cucumbers, beans (if you keep the deer away). You can also make bread from the squash and zucchini.

[The Village Idiot]

Squash, zucchini, cucumbers, beans (if you keep the deer away). You can also make bread from the squash and zucchini.

blech. I meant good ones like potatoes. heh. Beans are always good, they'll store for a long time.

Does anyone know how to grow peppercorn? to make black pepper? where would we get salt at? home made medicines?

[debk]

blech. I meant good ones like potatoes. heh. Beans are always good, they'll store for a long time.

Does anyone know how to grow peppercorn? to make black pepper? where would we get salt at? home made medicines?

Beans and potatoes will both keep for a long time if kept in a cool dry place.

Hmmm...no idea how to grow peppercorns.

Home made medicines? You will need to talk to someone who knows that stuff like Patriot Lady or Inga....they both know a lot about "folklore" medications.

[The Village Idiot]

Beans and potatoes will both keep for a long time if kept in a cool dry place.

Making sure there is food all year 'round would be a pain. So would starving. If the apples are going bad, make apple sauce, make apple butter... mmmmmm apple butter...

Anyways... olives? They grow olives in the middle east don't they? Oughtta grow in Texas, I would think.

If the crap happens, I do not envy the people who are going to really miss coffee.... I'll miss chocolate of course. I wonder how long before people would specialize again? At least on the side of growing their own food?

[Specbid]

Making sure there is food all year 'round would be a pain. So would starving. If the apples are going bad, make apple sauce, make apple butter... mmmmmm apple butter...

Anyways... olives? They grow olives in the middle east don't they? Oughtta grow in Texas, I would think.

If the crap happens, I do not envy the people who are going to really miss coffee.... I'll miss chocolate of course. I wonder how long before people would specialize again? At least on the side of growing their own food?

I'll miss beer.

[The Village Idiot]

I'll miss beer.

You got 5 acres in this scenario but I guess if you shoot the neighborhood lefty and use his 5-acres to raise hopps and barley, ain't nobody going to say nothing.

[IassaFTots]

I'll miss beer.

Yeah.  But, if you have honey, you can have mead.   And that is WAY stronger than beer.   

[Specbid]

You got 5 acres in this scenario but I guess if you shoot the neighborhood lefty and use his 5-acres to raise hopps and barley, ain't nobody going to say nothing.

Well there ya go...I like the way you think. Then I can barter beer with someone growing food. Dead lefty, food, beer...everybody's happy ('cept the lefty.)

[Specbid]

Yeah.  But, if you have honey, you can have mead.   And that is WAY stronger than beer.   

Now, I'm allergic to bees, so you collect the honey and we'll talk.

[IassaFTots]

Now, I'm allergic to bees, so you collect the honey and we'll talk.

Meh, so am I.  But I happen to have a connection with a mead maker.    Who also makes beer.  But, with grain and hop prices increasing, not so much these days. 

That is why I am learning how to can.  Trading canned vegetables, sauces and jellies, for BEER.  Or Mead. 

[The Village Idiot]

It would be cool if someone came into enough cash to set up his own version of Galts Gulch, a defensible place with a dozen or so families, each with a specialty and each with a garden.

Could end up rebuilding society through the generations.

[The Village Idiot]

Well there ya go...I like the way you think. Then I can barter beer with someone growing food. Dead lefty, food, beer...everybody's happy ('cept the lefty.)

Someone has to run the Viking Kitty Inn after all.

[Specbid]

Someone has to run the Viking Kitty Inn after all.

That's something I could do. Whew, looks like I'll have a place in society after all.

[Aaron Burr]

I'm just about to close on 5 acres in Arizona. Barn, chicken coop, well, fruit trees ect... Just put down some dough on a Winchester...got some bags of rice and beans (I actually like Mesikin food and can make some dishes fairly well)

I figure if stuff gets so bad that people indeed, have to fend for themselves, I'll grow and process delicacies. Stuff people would trade basics for. Apple pie, pate, junk like that. Where I live now is horse and game country so I suspect I already have some neighbors who are in "survivalist" mode.

Swell. We can go hunt Javalinas together and form some sort of bacon consortium.

[bijou]

blech. I meant good ones like potatoes. heh. Beans are always good, they'll store for a long time.

Does anyone know how to grow peppercorn? to make black pepper? where would we get salt at? home made medicines?

From seeds.

Piper nigrum. Perennial. Plant produces black peppercorns. Peppercorns are dried and used to make black pepper. You can grow this tropical tree in containers and bring them indoor in the fall. Try growing your own black pepper plant! pk/20

Planting Instructions: Black pepper requires rich soil, plenty of water, humid conditions, and partial shade. Plant seeds indoors 1/2" deep. Keep temperature between 75 and 85 degrees. After seeds have germinated, keep soil moist and from drying out. Transplant in larger pots as seedling grows.

[The Village Idiot]

That's something I could do. Whew, looks like I'll have a place in society after all.

You would be an evil, capitalist, "rich" Publican!! 

[The Village Idiot]

I'm just about to close on 5 acres in Arizona. Barn, chicken coop, well, fruit trees ect... Just put down some dough on a Winchester...got some bags of rice and beans (I actually like
Swell. We can go hunt Javalinas together and form some sort of bacon consortium.

Isn't Arizona kind of hot and dry?

Well if enough of us peasants get together we can build a keep! heh.

[The Village Idiot]

From seeds.

from seeds. Of course    why didn't I think of that?

[Aaron Burr]

I suppose some parts of Arizona get hot. I don't know. I live up in the mountains about an hour from Flagstaff. The flat "hot" bits of the state seem exceedingly well suited for insane, helmetless banzai motorcycle runs across the desert floor.

But if stuff gets bad I'll most likely stay up in the mountains and put around on the Triumph. (It has carburetors so I can convert it to run on practically anything...take that EFI jerks.)

But you can't survive alone. I plan on exploiting...um, cooperating as much as possible with my neighbors even if everything turns out O.K. and the economy starts farting pixie dust out of its butt.

Oh, and although beer is tasty, Whiskey is where its at as far as trading purposes go.