Author: Gaye Levy

Water shortages caused by wonky weather patterns make finding ways to maximize the water we do have critical. In this article, learn 16 ways to conserve water in your home now so that the prudent use of water becomes habit. Your survival depends on it!

Some of the most popular web articles on emergency preparedness have to do with food. This is also a widely discussed topic in print and on forums. And it is no wonder. In today’s society eating is no longer just for sustenance. It is a social form, a source of family bonding and togetherness and for many, a hobby. And, with rising costs, it is a significant part of almost everyone’s household budget.

Today I would like to share ten tips for securing your food supply so that in the event of a natural disaster, a terrorist attack, or civil disobedience on a massive scale, you will be able to eat and to thrive – no matter what.

Potatoes are an excellent source of food for a prepper garden. Nutritionally, a large potato has 280 calories and 63 grams of carbohydrate and seven grams of protein. Root vegetables . . .

Becoming prepared can be a lonely journey.  Family members scoff and friends roll their eyes and shy away, thinking you have joined the tin foil hat society. You want to . . .

One of the dilemmas we face in a long term SHTF situation is the lack of food. For that reason, many of us stockpile grains. Grains have a long shelf life, are nutritious and will keep us going when fresh food is not available. In an ideal world, we will mill our grains and bake up homemade bread in our cast iron pots that are cozied up the campfire.

Sounds good and even a bit romantic. Alas, although wheat and other grains can be milled into flour, yeast is a bit less hardy and after a few years, my not be viable. So what are the alternatives. There is sourdough of course. And then there is hardtack, a cracker like bread made without yeast whatsoever.

For those of you that don’t know, Samantha Biggers is the editor in chief at Backdoor Survival.  We became friendly shortly after new ownership took over and did . . .

Editor’s Note: This resource has been revised and updated for 2018.

Of all of the reasons to prepare, one that we all need to take seriously is the possibility . . .

No matter how many times I write about food, there is always something new to consider or a new and different way to present the same old information in a more useful manner. With that in mind, today I would like to share a method for getting started with your food storage program in an easy, step by step, and cost effective manner.

To be truthful, my initial goal with this article was to respond to readers who were just getting started and wanted a shopping list of things to buy for their food storage pantry. I also wanted to compile a checklist that more experienced preppers could use to compare what they had to what they needed. My goal can pretty much be summed up by saying that I wanted to write about getting started with food storage the easy way. No frills, no fluff – just a common sense list of food items to get you started.

There’s a lot of podcasts out there, and plenty on prepping. Which is great, because who doesn’t want to fill up their commute, chore time, or gun-cleaning . . .

Editors Note: This is an updated and revised edition for 2018.

I have always claimed, and not altogether jokingly, that you could build a house with Elmer’s glue and . . .

Gardening often requires the use of a cold frame or a greenhouse, even in warmer climate. A good way to think of the difference between a greenhouse and a cold . . .

When it comes to understanding electricity, my mind tends to blank out when it gets to the point where I have to determine volts, amps, amp-hours, voltage under load . . .

One of the very first things I learned to do when I started to prep was seal food in Mylar bags.  As simple as this sounds, you would not believe . . .

Anyone who lives in hurricane country knows that hunkering down is a way of life when a big storm is predicted.  As a matter of fact, in the southern United . . .

Today I would like to share a list of 7 tips to prepare for hard times. It is a quick and dirty list – things that come to mind here and now in the present moment. I am sure there are others.

One of the more serious risks we face is an EMP. Learn how to build a simple Faraday cage and also what to store inside it.

When it comes to lighters, Zippos, and lighter fuel in general, there is a lot of misinformation to be found on the Internet. Learn about lighters plus the various types of lighter fuels that are available. Hint: there are alternatives to Zippo lighter fuel!

Editor’s Note: This is an updated and revised edition for 2018. The original article was published prior to last year’s devastating hurricane Maria.

This last hurricane . . .

Need a basic understanding of the concepts behind water and water storage? Find answers to where to find, store, purify, and filter water for storage.

Editor’s Note: This resource has been revised and updated for 2019.

Essential oil diffuser is a handy little machine. Every essential oil enthusiast would agree that living without . . .

Regardless of where you live, a winter storm can and will happen at one time or another. These tips will ensure you will weather the storm in comfort.

There is some debate surrounding bleach in the prepping community. Bleach is a powerful cleaning agent, which can even be used to purify water, but it has a short shelf . . .

Editors Note: This is an updated and revised edition for 2018.

Two of the largest names in Emergency Preparedness Food are Wise Company and Mountain House. How do you . . .

How many hours a day do you spend on your feet? Four, six, eight hours? If you spend a good chunk of the day standing, then you are probably used . . .

Skin is a strong and yet delicate human organ. Just remember how many times you scraped your knees and elbows when you were little. And, how easy it is to . . .

Did you know that you can recharge alkaline batteries? All you need is the right type of alkaline battery charger in order to give new life to your dead batteries. Here some tips to get your started.

Essential oils offer more than just a pleasant smell. You are probably used to using them for relaxing massages, but, did you know that they can be used as a . . .

Have you ever considered adding coffee filters to your stash of multi-purpose preps? As you know, every prepper knows that multipurpose items save space and money. Because of this, we stash things like salt, duct tape, vinegar, and paracord like they are going out of style. Coffee filters are another inexpensive item to add to your list of versatile survival preps. Here are 35 reasons why!

When people think of crazy preppers, they often think of underground bunkers, full to the brim with supplies, locked up beneath a Fallout-style hatch. But few of us have . . .

I love my cast iron skillet. Even though I have had it for less than a year, it is the most used piece of cookware in my home. Perhaps it is nostalgia for what I perceive to be the good old days – think Pa and the boys cooking up some chow on Bonanza – or simply a longing to, in some small way, shun our spit-shined, high tech society.

Whatever the case, I am now really “in” to cast iron.

If you were lucky enough to get some cast iron cookware from Santa, you probably have some anxiety about using it. And even if your are a cast iron diva – well experienced in its glories – you may have some questions about it’s use and care for the long term. Today I offer some suggestions that will guarantee your cooking adventures with cast iron succeed.

1. Seasoning is your friend.
Cast iron needs to be seasoned in order to acquire non-stick capabilities. An unseasoned piece is a disaster waiting to happen. You food will taste like, well, rusty iron. Food will stick like crazy. And clean-up? Forget it.

These days, if you are starting new, you can purchase a pre-seasoned pan. That is what I did. Lodge as well as other manufacturers sell pre-seasoned pans for just a few dollars more than the unseasoned kind. But not to worry if you acquired an old rusted out or unseasoned pan from a friend, relative or thrift store, You can find my instructions for seasoning a cast iron pan from scratch in the tip area below.