https://www.inthatday.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/NikkiHoward_Interview.mp3
FOOD FOR SALE AND BASIC INFORMATION LINKS http://www.learningherbs.com/ http://methowvalleyherbs.blogspot.com http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/powderedbuttercan.aspx
ORGANIC FOOD http://waltonfeed.com/http://www.providentliving.com http://www.beprepared.com
HOW MUCH FOOD CAN I GROW AROUND THE HOUSE
Solar Cookers: Pros and Cons of the Different Types
DIY TOILETS AND TOILET PAPER
FOOD STORAGE SEMINAR http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhGaTlwYs-s&feature=related You’ve gotta watch this.
PET SURVIVAL KIT (bug out bag)
SURVIVAL LINKS NOT ON THIS SITE Look at them and see if there is anything you can learn from them. They cover many different subjects.
SURVIVAL http://www.survivalcenter.com/ http://www.survivalblog.com
https://www.saveonenergy.com/solar-energy/solar-ovens/
FREE STUFF (Any site with free information will usually have something to sell.)
BOOKS
Disclaimer: LifeSkills International and Echod Enterprise are not responsible for the following information. Use at your own risk
JANUARY WATER! - as much as you can buy and store- each month!
FEBRUARY WATER! - as much as you can buy and store- each month!
MARCH WATER! - as much as you can buy and store- each month!
APRIL WATER! - as much as you can buy and store- each month!
MAY WATER! - as much as you can buy and store- each month!
JUNE WATER! - as much as you can buy and store- each month!Week 1: Baking Soda - 2 lbs (for cleaning) & Alfalfa Seeds (to sprout)
OPTION #1 continued
JULY WATER! - as much as you can buy and store- each month!
AUGUST WATER! - as much as you can buy and store- each month!
SEPTEMBER WATER! - as much as you can buy and store- each month!
OCTOBER WATER! - as much as you can buy and store- each month!
NOVEMBER WATER! - as much as you can buy and store- each month!
DECEMBER WATER! - as much as you can buy and store- each month!
An article appearing in a survivalist magazine provided the blueprint for building a substantial and nourishing food supply over a 52-week period. Importantly, the foods that can sustain you and your spouse can be bought once each week. Do the math: the cost for building your emergency food supply is going to be very affordable especially when you consider that you can spread the cost out over a full year. And, while the foods may not seem exotic or overly enticing to you (see the list below), they will sustain you and your spouse. And they are nutritious.
Here is the list of purchases you need to make weekly - for One Full YearNow, it should be noted that this list was the creation of a writer by the name of "AZ Pepper." If you look closely at his suggestions, you'll see - almost immediately - that they make sense. The supplies he suggests are affordable and they can last a long time. These foods will not spoil quickly.Here is something else you need to know, courtesy of "AZ Pepper." There are some weeks in this process of food accumulation and storage when there will be money left over after your purchase (perhaps some loose change). Don't spend it. Instead, put it aside for use in the weeks when your purchase exceeds more than you can afford. This will help you stick to the budget. In fact, there will also be weeks when the items you want to buy are on sale. Take full advantage of these sales to save money and get ahead. Clearly, if you follow this shopping strategy, you will be able to meet your one year food storage goal while staying right at - or near - your pre-planned budget. This is something you can do, if you remain motivated and focused.
OPTION #2 continued
YOU CAN BUY AND STORE EACH MONTH
#1) STORABLE FOOD Food is going to instantly become one of the most valuable commodities in existence in the event of an economic collapse. If you do not have food you are not going to survive. Most American families could not last much longer than a month on what they have in their house right now. So what about you? If disaster struck right now, how long could you survive on what you have? The truth is that we all need to start storing up food. If you and your family run out of food, you will suddenly find yourselves competing with the hordes of hungry people who are looting the stores and roaming the streets looking for something to eat. Of course you can grow your own food, but that is going to take time. So you need to have enough food stored up until the food that you plant has time to grow. But if you have not stored up any seeds you might as well forget it. When the economy totally collapses, the remaining seeds will disappear very quickly. So if you think that you are going to need seeds, now is the time to get them.
#2 ) CLEAN WATER Most people can survive for a number of weeks without food, but without water you will die in just a few days. So where would you get water if the water suddenly stopped flowing out of your taps? Do you have a plan? Is there an abundant supply of clean water near your home? Would you be able to boil water if you need to? Besides storing water and figuring out how you are going to gather water if society breaks down, another thing to consider is water purification tablets. The water you are able to gather during a time of crisis may not be suitable for drinking. So you may find that water purification tablets come in very, very handy.
#3) SHELTER You can't sleep on the streets, can you? Well, some people will be able to get by living on the streets, but the vast majority of us will need some form of shelter to survive for long. So what would you do if you and your family lost your home or suddenly were forced from your home? Where would you go? The best thing to do is to come up with several plans. Do you have relatives that you can bunk with in case of emergency? Do you own a tent and sleeping bags if you had to rough it? If one day everything hits the fan and you and your family have to "bug out" somewhere, where would that be? You need to have a plan.
#4) WARM CLOTHING If you plan to survive for long in a nightmare economic situation, you are probably going to need some warm, functional clothing. If you live in a cold climate, this is going to mean storing up plenty of blankets and cold weather clothes. If you live in an area where it rains a lot, you will need to be sure to store up some rain gear. If you think you may have to survive outdoors in an emergency situation, make sure that you and your family have something warm to put on your heads. Someday after the economy has collapsed and people are scrambling to survive, a lot of folks are going to end up freezing to death. #5) AN AX E Staying along the theme of staying warm, you may want to consider investing in a good axe. In the event of a major emergency, gathering firewood will be a priority. Without a good tool to cut the wood with that will be much more difficult.
#5) AN AX E Staying along the theme of staying warm, you may want to consider investing in a good axe. In the event of a major emergency, gathering firewood will be a priority. Without a good tool to cut the wood with that will be much more difficult.
#6) LIGHTERS OR MATCHES You will also want something to start a fire with. If you can start a fire, you can cook food, you can boil water and you can stay warm. So in a true emergency situation, how do you plan to start a fire? By rubbing sticks together? Now is the time to put away a supply of lighters or matches so that you will be prepared when you really need them.In addition, you may want to consider storing up a good supply of candles. Candles come in quite handy whenever the electricity goes out, and in the event of a long-term economic nightmare we will all see why our forefathers relied on candles so much.
#7) HIKING BOOTS OR COMFORTABLE SHOES When you ask most people to list things necessary for survival, this is not the first or the second thing that comes to mind. But having hiking boots or very comfortable and functional shoes will be absolutely critical. You may very well find yourself in a situation where you and your family must walk everywhere you want to go. So how far do you think you will get in high heels? You will want footwear that you would feel comfortable walking in for hours if necessary. You will also want footwear that will last a long time, because when the economy truly collapses you may not be able to run out to the shoe store and get what you need at that point.
#8) A FLASHLIGHT AND/OR LANTERN When the power goes off in your home, what is the first thing that you grab? Just think about it. A flashlight or a lantern of course. In a major emergency, a flashlight or a lantern is going to be a necessity - especially if you need to go anywhere at night. Solar powered or "crank style" flashlights or lanterns will probably be best during a long-term emergency. If you have battery-powered units you will want to begin storing up lots and lots of batteries.
#9) A RADIO If a major crisis does hit the United States, what will you and your family want? Among other things, you will all want to know what in the world is going on. A radio can be an invaluable tool for keeping up with the news. Once again, solar powered or "crank style" radios will probably work best for the long term. A battery-powered until would work as well - but only for as long as your batteries are able to last.
#10) COMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT When things really hit the fan you are going to want to communicate with your family and friends. You will also want to be able to contact an ambulance or law enforcement if necessary. Having an emergency cell phone is great, but it may or may not work during a time of crisis. The Internet also may or may not be available. Be sure to have a plan (whether it be high-tech or low-tech) for staying in communication with others during a major emergency.
#11) A SWISS ARMY KNIFE If you have ever owned a Swiss Army knife you probably already know how incredibly handy they can be. It can be a very valuable and versatile tool. In a true survival situation, a Swiss Army knife can literally do dozens of different things for you. Make sure that you have at least one stored up for emergencies.
#12) PERSONAL HYGINE ITEMS While these may not be absolute "essentials", the truth is that life will get very unpleasant very quickly without them. For example, what would you do without toilet paper? Just think about it. Imagine that you just finished your last roll of toilet paper and now you can't get any more. What would you do? The truth is that soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, toilet paper and other hygiene products are things that we completely take for granted in society today. So what would happen if we could not go out and buy them any longer?
#13) A FIRST AID KIT AND OTHER MEDICAL SUPPLIES On a more serious note, you may not be able to access a hospital or a doctor during a major crisis. In your survival supplies, be absolutely certain that you have a good first aid kit and any other medical supplies that you think you may need.
#14) EXTRA GASOLINE There may come a day when gasoline is rationed or is simply not available at all. If that happens, how will you get around? Be certain to have some extra gasoline stored away just in case you find yourself really needing to get somewhere someday.
#15) A SEWING KIT If you were not able to run out and buy new clothes for you and your family, what would you do? Well, you would want to repair the clothes that you have and make them last as long as possible. Without a good sewing kit that will be very difficult to do.
#16) SELF-DEFENSE EQUIPMENT Whether it is pepper spray to fend off wild animals or something more "robust" to fend off wild humans, millions of Americans will one day be thankful that they have something to defend themselves with.
#17) A COMPASS In the event of a major emergency, you and your family may find yourselves having to be on the move. If you are in a wilderness area, it will be very hard to tell what direction you are heading without a compass. It is always a good idea to have at least one compass stored up.
#18) A HIKING BACKPACK If you and your family suddenly have to "bug out", what will you carry all of your survival supplies in? Having a good hiking backpack or "survival bag" for everyone in your family is extremely important. If something happened in the city where you live and you suddenly had to "go", what would you put your most important stuff in? How would you carry it all if you had to travel by foot? These are very important things to think about.
#19) A COMMUNITY During a long-term crisis, it is those who are willing to work together that will have the best chance of making it. Whether it is your family, your friends, a church or a local group of people that you know, make sure that you have some people that you can rely on and work together with in the event that everything hits the fan. Loners are going to have a really hard time of surviving for long.
#20) A BACKUP PLAN Lastly, it is always, always, always important to have a backup plan for everything.If someone comes in and steals all the food that you have stored up, what are you going to do?If travel is restricted and your can't get to your "bug out" location immediately do you have a Plan B? If you have built your house into an impregnable survival fortress but circumstances force you to leave do you have an alternate plan?The truth is that crisis situations rarely unfold just as we envision. It is important to be flexible and to be ready with backup plans when disaster strikes. You don't want to end up like the folks in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. You don't want to have to rely on the government to take care of you if something really bad happens. Right now the U.S. strategic grain reserve contains only enough wheat to make half a loaf of bread for each of the approximately 300 million people in the United States. How long do you think that is going to last? Now is the time to get ready. Now is the time to prepare.
1. Discuss how to respond to each disaster.
2. Discuss what to do about power outages.
3. Discuss what to do about personal injuries.
4. Draw a floor plan of your house, and mark two escape plans for each room
5. Learn how to turn off the water, gas and electricity at main switches.
6. Post emergency telephone numbers near telephones.
7. Teach everyone, young and old, how and when to call 911-police, fire and emergency medical care.
8. Tell household members to turn on the radio for emergency information.
9. Pick one out-of-state and one local friend or relative to call if family is
separated by disaster (remember that it is often easier to call out-of-state than within the affected disaster area.)
10. Teach children how to make phone calls.
11. Pick two meeting spots- one near your home and one outside your
neighborhood in case you cannot return home after a disaster.
12. Take first aid and CPR training classes.
13. Keep family records in a water and fireproof container.
14. Meet with household members-discuss with children the dangers of fire, severe weather, earthquakes and other emergencies.
PREPARE A DISASTER SUPPLY KIT
Include:
These links contain food information and other things. They are links to stores that sell items. I do not personally know them, but they give you options.
I have started this article with what can kill you so that you understand, storing food must be done a certain way or it can kill you.
PESTS OF STORED DRY GRAINS AND LEGUMES
Insect infestations can occur in a wide variety of foodstuffs such as flours, meals, pastas, dried fruits and vegetables, nuts, sweets, whole grains, beans, sugars, TVP, jerky, bird seed and pet foods. Try to purchase from suppliers who are clean and have a high volume of turnover of their products. This will mean the products you purchase will be unlikely to have bugs in them. When you buy such foodstuffs examine them closely to be sure they are insect free. Check for any packaging or "use by" dates to insure their freshness. Don't shake the package, most adult insects will be found in the top couple of inches of the product and shaking the package will mix them into the contents and disguise them.
If the package does turn out to be infested, return it for replacement. Once you have purchased the product you should store it in an air- and moisture-tight container so it cannot be invaded after you have brought it home. With sufficient time, adult and some larval insect forms can penetrate paper, cardboard and thin plastic packaging. Your containers should be either heavy plastic, glass or metal with tight fitting lids. As with everything in food storage, you should use older packages before newer ones and opened packages before unopened ones.
The storage area should be kept clean. Don't allow grain, flour, beans, bits of pasta or other food particles to accumulate on shelves or the floor. Cracks and crevices should be sealed or otherwise blocked. Unless it is a sticky spill, vacuuming is the best method of cleaning since cleaning with soap and water can wash food particles into the cracks. Insects may get their start in chairs, sofas and carpets where food is dropped and not cleaned up. Don't forget to replace the filter bag on the vacuum since some insects can survive and reproduce in the bag after they've been sucked into it. Bags of dry pet food and bird seed can also harbor insect infestation. Decorative foodstuffs such as ears of colorful indian corn, colored beans and hard squashes can carry insects that can infest your edible food. Even poison baits can harbor flour beetles.
INFESTATIONS
Should you find that in spite of buying fresh products and using careful packaging techniques you have an insect infestation you can try some of the following steps: If the food is too heavily infested to try to save then it should be disposed of as soon as possible. Don't leave it in the kitchen or food storage area any longer than necessary so it won't infest other foods.
Large bugs can be sifted or winnowed out if it's not too heavily infested and you want to try to save it. Then treat it by placing into a deep freezer at 0 F for three to seven days depending upon the size of the package. Refrigerator freezers usually do not freeze low enough to effectively kill all of the life stages of insects, but if left there, will slow their development. If freezing is not workable then the product could be spread on baking sheets and heated to 150 F for fifteen to twenty minutes, cooled and repackaged. HEAT TREATED FOODS SHOULD BE CONSUMED SHORTLY THEREAFTER.
The surface areas where the food containers are stored can be treated with an insecticide. This is not a replacement for clean storage habits and good containers, but it can supplement it. This will not control insect infestations already in your stored foods.
Spray the shelf surface with 0.5% chlorpyrifos (Dursban), 1% propoxur (Baygon), 0.5 percent diazinon, or 0.25 percent resmethrin. You can find any of these in the hardware store in ready to apply packages. If a sprayer isn't feasible then they can be applied with a paint brush. Allow the solution to dry thoroughly. Cover the shelves with clean, untreated shelf paper and put properly packaged foods back on shelves.
READ THE PRODUCT LABEL FOR SAFETY INFORMATION CONCERNING CHILDREN AND PETS. Household bleach, Lysol and other sterilizers will not control insect infestation, though they can be used for mold, mildew and algae. You may continue to find some insects after the cleanup is finished. This could be for several reasons. The first being they escaped from the packages they were infesting and did not get cleaned up. There may be more packages infested than were originally realized or, there may be hiding places in the storage area that need attention. Once you have carefully eliminated all food sources, the bugs should disappear in three to four weeks.
Household bleach, Lysol and other sterilizers will not control insect infestation, though they can be used for mold, mildew and algae. You may continue to find some insects after the cleanup is finished. This could be for several reasons. The first being they escaped from the packages they were infesting and did not get cleaned up. There may be more packages infested than were originally realized or, there may be hiding places in the storage area that need attention. Once you have carefully eliminated all food sources, the bugs should disappear in three to four weeks.
MOLD
Molds are fungi just like mushrooms and yeast. Also like mushrooms, they reproduce by releasing spores into the air that land on everything, including your food and food storage containers. When those spores begin to grow, they create thin threads that spread throughout their growing medium. These threads are the roots of the mold fungus, called mycelium. The stalk of a mold fungus is the portion above or on the surface of the food. It produces the spores and gives the mold its color. We've all seen examples of this when we discover a dish of something or other left way-y-y too long in the refrigerator and has become covered in mold fuzz.
Molds can grow anywhere they have a growing medium (their food), sufficient moisture and enough warmth. Some can even grow at refrigerator temperatures, albeit more slowly than they would if it were warmer. They can also withstand much more salt and sugar than bacteria, which is why you sometimes find mold in jellies and jams with their high sugar content and on cured products like ham or bacon with their high salt content.
In the past, it was often felt a slight amount of mold was harmless and the food could be consumed anyway. For molds that were intentionally introduced into the food, such as the mold in bleu cheese, this is just fine. For the unintentional molds, it can be a very serious error in judgment. These unwanted molds might just be producing a toxic substance called a "mycotoxin" which can be very bad indeed. Mycotoxins are produced around the root or mycelium of the mold and the mold roots can penetrate very deeply into the food. These mycotoxins can survive for a long time in foods, and unfortunately most are not destroyed by cooking. The molds probably best known for this are the various Aspergillus varieties which produces a mycotoxin known as "aflatoxin", but there are other dangerous molds as well, such the Fusarium molds. Both of the above affect grain and some legumes.
IMPORTANT NOTE: In wet pack foods such as your home canned goodies, molds can do something else, possibly leading to lethal consequences. If they are present in wet pack food by reasons of improper procedure or contamination after the fact, they can consume the natural acids present in the food. The effect of this is to raise the pH of the food in the container, perhaps to the point that it becomes possible for spores of Clostridium botulinum, better known as "botulism", to become active and reproduce. If you're not already aware of the consequences of botulism poisoning, please read the bacterial spoilage section below where it has an entry all its own.
THERE ARE FEW KINDS OF FOOD POISONING WITH AS DEADLY SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES, There are few kinds of food poisoning with as deadly serious consequences. For this reason, moldy wet pack foods should be safely discarded.
MINIMIZING MOLDS
You can do a number of things to minimize unwanted mold growth in your kitchen, food storage areas and refrigerators. it is the refrigerator that is going to collect the most fungal growth. This can be dealt with by washing the inside every couple of months with a tablespoon of baking soda dissolved in a quart of warm water. Rinse clean and allow to dry. The black mildew that grows on the rubber door gaskets and other places can be dealt with by wiping down with a solution of three tablespoons of household bleach in a quart of water. I generally use a soft bristle brush for this.
The rest of the kitchen can be kept mold free by keeping it clean, and dry and by spraying occasionally with a product such as Lysol. Patches of mold growing in spots can be eliminated with the bleach solution used on the refrigerator doors. Try not to purchase more fresh food than you'll be able to eat in a short period of time. This will keep you from having to deal with the moldy remains that didn't get eaten. If food does go moldy, don't sniff it. This is a good way to give yourself respiratory difficulties if you are at all susceptible to mold allergies. Moldy food should be disposed in such a manner that your animals and children won't be able to get into it. Mycotoxins are every bit as bad for your animals as they are for you.
Obviously, you don't have to throw out everything that shows a spot of mold on it. Some foods can be safely dealt with and still partially saved if they show signs of fungal growth. Below is a set of guideline from M. Susan Brewer, Ph.D., R.D., a specialist in food safety. Her articles and works are found in many state university extension services publications lists.
If the food shows even a tiny mold spot, follow these guide lines:
TOSS IT IN GARBAGE IF MOLD FOUND ON:
TRIM
MOLDS IN CANNED GOODS
If good equipment and proper technique are used, then it is unlikely you will ever have mold growth in your unopened canned goods. If you do have such, then there was either a flaw in the procedure you used, or something affected the jar or can after the fact to break its seal. In any event, once the food has molded, it is past saving and should be discarded in such a way that children and animals will not be able to get into it.
The most likely home canned products to show mold growth are jams and jellies sealed with paraffin wax. There are a number of points in the canning process where this can occur:
It is for this reason that most canning authorities no longer recommend using this technique. If you must use it, the jelly jars should be boiled for at least 10 minutes before the jelly is poured into the jars. The filled and wax capped jars should then be covered with some sort of protective lid. The book, *Putting Food By* has excellent instructions on this or see the applicable section of the rec.food.preserving FAQ by Leslie Basel.
MOLDS IN GRAINS AND LEGUMES
It's long been known that eating moldy grain is bad for your health. The ugly consequences of eating ergot-infected rye probably make the best known example. It's only been for about thirty years, though, that intensive study of these grain fungi have been carried out on other varieties of molds and their respective mycotoxins. Fortunately, for those of us in the U.S., the USDA and the various state departments of agriculture go to a great deal of trouble to detect grain and legumes infected with these toxic fungi. In some of the less developed countries, the citizenry are not so lucky. Still, it is good to have something of an understanding of what one should do to prevent mold growth in one’s stored grains and to have an idea of what to look for and ask about when purchasing grains and legumes.
The one fungal type that has caused the most commotion in recent history are the various Aspergillus species of molds. Under certain conditions with certain grains, legumes and to a lesser extent, nuts, they can produce a mycotoxin called "aflatoxin". This is a serious problem in some parts of the world, most especially in peanuts, occasionally in corn. There have been no deaths I am aware of in the United States from aflatoxicity, though other countries have not been so fortunate. What makes aflatoxin so worrisome in this country is that it is also a very potent carcinogen (cancer causing agent).
In addition to the Aspergillus molds, there is also a very large family of molds called Fusarium and these can produce a wide variety of mycotoxins, all of which you do not want to be eating directly or feeding to your animals where you will get it indirectly when you eat them.
The Federal government and the various state governments continuously monitor food and forage crops. Those products which are prone to mold growth and toxin production are not allowed to be sold for food. Once purchased however, it is up to you to keep your food safe from mold growth. If you have already found mold growth in your whole grains, meals, flours or other grain products, they should be discarded. Most mycotoxins are not broken down or destroyed by cooking temperatures and there is no safe way to salvage grain that has molded.
PREVENTING MOLD GROWTH IN STORED GRAINS AND LEGUMES
The easiest method to prevent mold growth in your stored grains and legumes is simply to keep them too dry for the mold to grow. The Aspergillus and Fusarium molds require moisture contents of 18% and above to reproduce. This is subject to some variability, but in all grains and soybeans, they must have a moisture content of that level. If you are storing raw (not roasted) peanuts, in the shell or shelled, you want to get the moisture content to less than 8% as peanuts are particularly susceptible to mold growth. The recommended moisture content for all other grain and legume storage is no more than 10%. (Please see part 2.A.3.1 Grains and Legumes for a method to determine moisture content.) At 10% moisture, it is simply too dry for fungi to grow.
(See https://www.providenthomecompanion.com/long-term-storage-grains-legumes/ for more information.)
Bacterial Spoilage Bacteria can be very much more difficult to kill off than molds and insects. Some of them are capable of continued growth at temperatures that would kill other spoilage organisms. When conditions are such that they are unable to grow, some bacteria can go dormant and form spores. These spores can be quite hardy, even to the point of surviving a rolling boil.
In order to grow, bacteria need moisture, some as little as a 20% moisture content. For dry grains, legumes, powdered milk and other low moisture foodstuff bacterial spoilage will seldom be a problem so long as the moisture level in the foodstuff remains too scant to support its growth. For this reason, it is imperative that such products be drier than 20% and preferably below 10% to ward off mold growth as well. The botulism bacteria need moisture in the 35% range to grow. Thus, using desiccants (oxygen drying packets) in your food packaging is also an excellent idea.
WARNING: It is in wet pack canned goods (where the container has free liquid in it) and fresh foods we must be the most concerned about spoilage bacteria. It is here that a little bad luck and a moment's inattention to what you are doing could kill or seriously injure you or some other person who eats the foods you've put by. In both home-canned and commercially-canned goods, LEAKING, SMELLS BAD, OR SPEWS LIQUID WHEN YOU OPEN IT THEN THROW IT OUT! But, throw it out safely so that children and animals cannot get into it.
Botulism Clostridium botulinum is one of the oldest types of life forms found on the planet. Like the gangrene bacteria, it is an anaerobic organism meaning it lives and grows in the absence of free oxygen. It forms spores when conditions are not suitable for it to grow and it is commonly found in the soil. This means it can be brought into your life on raw produce, tools, hands or anything else that came into contact with dirt. To further complicate matters, botulinum spores are extremely heat-hardy. The bacteria itself can be killed by exposing them for a short time to boiling water (212 F AT SEA LEVEL PRESSURE), but their spores can not.
To kill them, the food product and container must be exposed to temperatures of 240 F (AGAIN AT SEA LEVEL PRESSURE) for a long enough period of time to allow all of the food in each container to come completely up to the proper temperature. Only a pressure canner can reach the necessary temperature.
It's not the bacteria or its spores which are directly deadly, but the toxin the bacteria creates when it grows and reproduces. In its pure form, botulism toxin is so potent that a mere teaspoon of it would be enough to provide a fatal dose to hundreds of thousands of people. It is this lethality that is why every responsible book on canning, food preservation, food storage, and the like hammers constantly on the need for care in technique and method and why spoilage must be taken so seriously. C. botulinum, like any other life form, must have suitable conditions for it to grow and become a danger to you.
One of the conditions it must have is a suitable pH range in its environment. pH is the measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a substance and is measured on a scale of 1-14 with anything above 7 being considered alkaline and everything below 7 being considered acid. If the pH of your wet pack food is BELOW 4.6 then botulism is unable to grow. Keep in mind pH is not eternal in foods and it is possible for it to change. If it should change to a lesser acidity than 4.6 pH your previously botulinum-proof food may start allowing the lethal spoiler to grow This is why it is vital to use proper technique, even for acid foods like tomatoes.
It has been found that when this occurs and botulinum becomes active and produces its lethal toxin it also produces minute amounts of acid which can lower the pH of the poisoned food back into what should have been the safe zone had the pH not jumped up and allowed the bacteria to grow. Again and again -- use good technique and pay attention to what you are doing. Botulinum toxin, unlike fungal mycotoxins, can be destroyed by boiling the food briskly in an open vessel for fifteen minutes.
Because of this, if your canned food shows any safety problems you should follow this procedure. If the food shows even the slightest mold growth, keep in mind that mycotoxins are not for the most part broken down by heat and dispose of the food safely. I don't intend to go into the hows of home canning here. For that I strongly recommend that you read sections 1, 4, and 5 of the r.f.p. FAQ and most especially the book Putting Food By for in depth information on this subject.
Go to this site for more helpful information. There was more to the article, but I ran out of room. www.sacofoods.com
lifeskills_coach101@yahoo.com