[WisJim]

Regarding making alcoholic beverages, it isn't that hard to make decent wines from grapes that can be grown in many climates, or from most other fruits. Some may need additional sugar, but grape wine, cider, and many of the fruit wines don't have to have anything added at all, although using a yeast designed for the kind of beverage you want can be an advantage, and help guarantee better results. We have 5 carboys of cider (5+ gallons each) fermenting now, plus numerous other and smaller containers of various fruit wines, beers, and mead. Although we usually purchase the malt, other grains, hops, yeast, etc., for the beers, we can grow the barley and hops, reuse yeasts, and make a good beer entirely from our own produce. The same is true for wine and cider. Of course, there is a lot more work involved if you start from scratch, and maintain your own lines of yeast, but it can be done. (I think that there is a thread on yeast in "Planning for the Future" that may be of interest, if this subject intrigues you.)

[codesuidae]

I've made fruit wine with pears before, both with a brewers yeast and with the natural yeast found on the fruit. The result was tolerable, and we found that the alcohol content could be increased by 'jacking', freezing the wine to remove water, concentrating the alcohols and flavors.

I'm sure alcohol making won't be an unusual skill anytime soon, but knowing how might save you from having to barter for alcohol someday

[SDC]

I have another suggestion to make: Lubrication oil.

As we all know, this will certainly see some shortages in the days to come, and it is needed to run virtually every machine in existance.

Heck, stockpiling on petrol might not be a bad idea in itself.

[BlueDaze]

I think the 2 best items to hoard/barter are sugar and salt.

Reasons:
- Low current costs so can stock up a lot
- Reasonable weight to size ratio
- Lasts virtually forever if sealed from mositure
- Everyone needs it to live (esp salt)
- You can eat and enjoy it

I also think toothpaste is essential for personal well-being/sanity, and another good barter item.

But I am rather concern as to HOW LONG can toothpaste be stored?

The brands I use state "Use By"... 3 years...

I want to store toothpaste for barter but only if it has at least a 5-10years shelf-life.

Appreciate if anyone can advise.


P.S. Can someone also advise on the SHELF-LIFE for SOAP also. Tks.

[MacG]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('BlueDaze', 'I') think the 2 best items to hoard/barter are sugar and salt.

[codesuidae]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('BlueDaze', 'I') think the 2 best items to hoard/barter are sugar and salt.

[BlueDaze]

MacG and codesuidae,

Thank you for your helpful feedback, info and advice.

It is much appreciated.

[garyp]

Strangely, with all the talk of alcohol, there is much talk of yeast but none of the basics to make a still. Some basic pipework, pressure vessels etc. could be employed in a variety of ways to make quite a few useful liquids - as well as vodka.

And if you are happy to talk tobacco and cigarettes as barter goods, shouldn't you be adding marijuana seeds to your stock pile? I'm told that is about as popular, and in the mad max world you envisage a few mellower people would be a good thing?

[Aimrehtopyh]

I bought a clean unused paint can and filled it with everything needed to make about 450 filter cigarettes. A pound of tobacco, 500+ zig-zag papers, 500 red marked filters, and a cheap zig-zag rolling device; all for under fifty bucks. Some say that properly dried and sealed tobacco has a shelf-life measured in decades. Like ammunition, tobacco may soon be subject to severe scarcity, taxation and regulation. Both can be used to alleviate anxiety and hunger. Even if you don't smoke it would be a good idea to stock some.

edit: Someone posted a link to a piece by a Yugoslavian fellow who said that aluminum foil was a hot commodity in his country when things went south. I can't seem to find it, could somebody help? Googling "tin foil peak oil" yields hundreds of stories about our headwear but nothing about actual tin foil.

[minnesotan]

I have a gallon of 7% iodine solution I got at an agricultural supply store. It will keep forever and it will treat, I calculate, 42,000 liters of water. Might be quite valuable in some scenarios.

[JPL]

As well as salt, pepper.

It was used as a substitute currency amongst poor people in Europe for centuries - for good reason - you try cooking without it...

Many times the price of pepper per-ounce went higher then Gold. Good stuff to have...

JPL

[PrairieMule]

Pound per Pound gum and cigarettes will diffuse trouble more efficiently than bullets.

[MD]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Aimrehtopyh', 'G')oogling "tin foil peak oil" yields hundreds of stories about our headwear but nothing about actual tin foil.

[ironborne]

If you're stockpiling wire and duct tape you may want to think about J.B. Weld as well. Since I threw some in my toolbox I have found several uses for it.
I sometimes have to bond copper tubing to magnets at work and J.B. Weld does the trick.

[BlueDaze]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('JPL', 'A')s well as salt, pepper.

It was used as a substitute currency amongst poor people in Europe for centuries - for good reason - you try cooking without it...

Many times the price of pepper per-ounce went higher then Gold. Good stuff to have...

[Doly]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('BlueDaze', '
')I checked and found that pepper has about a 3-year storage life, and "Spices do not spoil, however, they do lose their strength. Old spices may be too weak to deliver the taste you expect."

[Cornelian]

Salt, sugar and vinegar, in as large quantities as you can. Why? Because you cannot preserve food without these, and people are going to be into food preserving in a big way post PO.

Also over the counter medicines for bowel upsets, stings, any first aid stuff.

Matches. Lots of 'em.

Spices. How easy are spices to grow where you are? Remember how valuable spices were in medieval times - that's because they were difficult to get in Europe and nigh on impossible to grow there. Pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, mustards etc. Sure, they're luxuries, but you probably don't realise how much of our food now incorporates them (so you're going to miss them when they're gone) and again, they're vital for preserving foods.

Coffee. Tea. Huge quantities. Again, how easy are they to grow where you are?

Organic seeds.

Seed potatoes. (an ongoing crop for you)

[lapulapu]

How and where is one suppose to SECURELY store/wharehouse all this goodies and have regular access to it during the slide?

[Aimrehtopyh]

Store it right next to the ammunition.

Running a "tight ship" pre-collapse will help. Post-collapse you'll be wishing for some sheets of plywood and a bag of lag bolts and washers.

I've pre-packaged most of my stash for easy transport. That way
I can move it quickly if things get weird.

Do like squirrels do. Hide some in the garage, at your moms, at work, in your storage unit, be creative. Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

[frankthetank]

Seriously.... You could bury it in some sort of large container (i've thought of an old cooler) and it should stay good for a long time. Probably want to get below the frost line??? THink of when you were in school and buried stuff in a time vault thing. Heres a neat trick... Get one of those radioactive stickers and put it on top incase someone beats you to it!