Some perfectly good items may be laying around your house unused, because they have been replaced by electronic gadgets. Here are some oldies that could prove to be really valuable when the grid goes down.
by Leon Pantenburg
Check out this survival LED light for a keychain!
These comprise pills for despair, heart disorder and high cialis no prescription india reference blood pressure. Ergo, as always, it’s important that you consult with your doctor before you decide on taking Sildenafil tablets, since there are certain side effects associated with the generic viagra tab medication. Watching it, you realize that the actress is not only embarrassing for them, but it can also create problem viagra lowest prices in their love relationship. The leading portal gives purchasers every possibility to levitra generic canada place an order and it is delivered to your door in an unmarked package within 24 hours.
Before electricity was common, many of these tools and implements were so common as to escape notice. But let the power go out and you will appreciate the old-time technology. Here are some things that will make life easier during a blackout.
Kerosene lamps: I love the old antique glass lamps and lanterns and am always on the look out for them at garage sales or antique stores. But in addition to looking cool, they can also provide efficient lighting. My kerosene lamp can burn for about eight hours on one filling of about a pint. That is plenty of light for an evening, when the alternative is to sit in the dark. You can add candles to this category. Battery-operated lights will last as long as there is a charge in the battery.
A single candle may provide enough lighting in some power outage situations. Check out thrift stores and garage sales for good deals. (Pantenburg photo)
Can opener: Some people only have an electric can opener, which, obviously is worthless in a blackout. Get a crank manual can opener, or at least a P-38 military rations opener. I always have a can opener on my everyday carry Swiss Army Tinker, and I’m always surprised at how often that feature is used.
Glass fruit jar: You probably don’t think much about these items. But in addition to holding various food items, they can also be improvised into an oil lamp. The technique is easy, and a fruit jar oil lamps will go a long way toward stretching your other lighting sources.
Hand mixer: The crank mixer works well, and can supply aerobic exercise if the job is long enough!
Check out this manual mixer
Hand tools: I have my Dad’s old wood saw, as well as several folding saws. There is no better tool for cutting firewood, trimming branches, processing large meat animals etc. An axe is another valuable item to have. The crank hand drill is one of the oldest tools.
Cheese grater: I included this because I don’t like dicing cheese with a knife. You can also use it to grate soap for laundry and onions and garlic for cooking.
Cell phone charger: (Not old timey, unless you consider that you’re generating electricity with a crank!) I bought a hand crank charger to test, and it works fine. You’ll find lots of volunteers to crank it when it comes time to charge phones, laptops and various electronic items.
Biomass stove: Cooking is a real challenge without power unless you have a reliable source of heat. Check out your camping gear, and if you’ve prepared well, you may have some variation of this tool.
Cast iron Dutch oven: Probably the most versatile cooking implement ever invented, everybody should have at least one Dutch oven. I regularly use my ovens for cooking, and they work superbly over a propane heater, charcoal or a campfire.
Recipes: Many of the old time recipes evolved because of food shortages, or regional preferences. Some recipes from your area are designed to take advantage of seasonal crop harvests or garden excesses. Regardless, check out the local old time recipes and keep a file somewhere.
If you don’t have that food heritage, get a good food storage cookbook. The best one I’ve ever come across is “Jan’s Fabulous Food Storage Recipes,” written by the late Jan LeBaron. Jan owned a storage foods company, and compiled 435 recipes to help people get started cooking storage foods. It’s my go-to food storage recipe book, and a copy should be stored right on the shelf next to the storage food.
Obviously, if you look around, you’ll find all sorts of things that can help you get through a blackout. But don’t overlook those low tech items that may be in the back of the pantry, or stored on a shelf in the garage. Some day, they might prove to be really, really useful.
