When the Power is Out: 11/11/20

Imagine this; A pandemic or crisis that has lasted far longer than anyone expected. People did hunker down best they could for the first couple of weeks. Life was at least tolerable, but then the power went out. That was about at least 5 weeks ago.

You are standing at the kitchen sink getting a drink of water when you look out the window and notice something move. It's an ordinary looking guy, lethargic, staggering and weak coming from the edge of the woods heading your way. You cautiously step out of the back door and make your way toward him, base ball bat in hand. You call out to the stranger and wait a couple of seconds to see what he is going to do. He motions for you to come to him and takes a few more steps and falls to the ground a few yards from you. With great anxiety you watch Mr. X as he lays there, trying to wake from his disoriented stupor. He tells you as best he can his name. My name is Bob, can you help me?

This guy is too weak to be of much danger so you go to see what you can do. He has no visible wounds or signs of fever or other illness. Bob explains that he has plenty of filtered water and he has not been attacked and says he was ready for the crisis and the power going out. It's not been much of a problem for him to adjust. He doesn't know why he is so weak and disoriented, and his vision is so fuzzy.

The two of you talk for a few minutes and decide he would be better off at his own cabin in the woods so you help get there. Once you get him settled in, you see that Bob wasn't kidding. He has about 20 years of stored freeze dried food and other provisions. So what has happened to this mysterious Bob?

*************

You may remember from your high school history class the story of Lewis and Clark and their expedition into the north west territories. Shortly into the story we are introduced to a young Shoshone Indian girl, Sacajawea (roughly translated as a Little Bird). Sacajawea had been captured during a raid by a group of Waccamaw Siouan warriors, as a 10 year old. Over the next few years she was bought and sold several times as a slave ending up in what is now Washburn, North Dakota. By the time she was 14 she became the third and youngest wife of a French Fur trader Toussaint Charbonneau.

During this time Lewis and Clark's *Corp of Discovery* as the government had labeled the expedition, were making their way deep into the uncharted territories of various tribes of Indians. Clark thought it a good idea to take a translator with them on the next leg of their journey. They had met up with the French fur trader who also spoke many dialects and made him an offer. Young Sacajawea, 16 now, seemed a better plan because warring tribes saw a woman traveling with a group of men as a sign of peacefulness and not a threat. So Clark persuaded Charbonneau to let Sacajawea guide the band of explorers into the wilderness, as he noted she had the ability to establish cultural contacts with native populations more easily than the fur trader. The French fur trader had often been seen as a shyster and made a big fuss about the girl getting such a position with the exposition. Charbonneau was handsomely compensated $$$ for his wife's contribution.

As the weeks melted into months Sacajawea endeared herself to the men of this historic adventure, often being called “little sister or Janey." She patched their jackets and tanned hides making many pairs of moccasins to protect their feet. She cooked delicious meals and treated their wounds with herbs and earth. There always seemed to be plenty of plants, antelope and mountain goats in this uncharted wilderness to fill their bellies. However, antelope and goats are particularly lean.

It was during one particular meet and greet at an Indian village along the river that the expedition picked up an old Indian grandfather. Grandfather Indian was curious about the mission and the men welcomed him to travel along. Several days of traveling with his new found friends, Grandfather Indian noticed many of the men becoming weak and faltering to keep up with evening chores. One night in particular the men refused to eat their super wishing instead to just go to bed down for the night.

In the morning the troop and now even Sacajawea didn't wish to move out of their bedrolls and refused to eat any breakfast. Grandfather Indian recognized this groups problem as a depleted nutritional condition the wise old Indian had seen before. He had been with them long enough to become aware of the limited diet this group had been eating for a long time, he knew exactly what to do. The old man quickly gathered up all the troops buffalo and bear tallow candles. Ones they had made before setting out on this long, arduous journey. Slowly he melted the tallow candles in the cooks iron pot. When the tallow had completely melted he scooped out a warm cupful for each person and instructed them to drink it down quickly. One by one, each drank down their portion. Not one of them gagged or choked on the greasy beverage due to the fact the body knew what it needed to survive. By the next morning everyone was again eager and ready to hit the trail.

So why tell you all this and what about Bob? If you haven't guessed by now the moral of the story is that something as gross as fat is required for many bodily functions. Your body cannot make certain fatty acids and needs to get it from outside sources. If dietary fats are not supplemented in a grid down crisis the body cannot process vitamins A,D,E, and K, creating a host of health problems. Also, fat is so very important for proper brain functions and are crucial for maintaining good eye health. The best part is that fat adds a lot of flavor to food and is satisfying. Fat is a ready source of energy contributing 4,000 calories per pound. It's other job is that it provides a blanket around vital organs thus shielding them from trauma and cold and are the third main class of macro-nutrients needed in human nutrition. These can also be burned by the body to make energy. Think keto!

Before the SHTF

You can stockpile beans, rice, pasta and oatmeal for the really hard times, but the more important fat products are seldom thought of. Why? Because Americans have been lead to believe that we need a cupboard full of non-fat processed garbage. And of course, fats and oils have a short shelf life because they go rancid easily at room temperature. So fat free is actually beneficial only to the manufacturer.

Store purchased lard and beef tallow can be frozen for up to 6 months. Packaged well, I have had lard in my freezer for two years. Although, it may seem a little darker and frosty, it still cooked up well and didn't have any nasty flavors.

Coconut oil, that semi-solid white stuff sitting next to popcorn in most grocery stores, can be frozen up to 6 months–Although, I have had some in the freezer for 3 years and it is still good if kept in a tightly sealed plastic jar.

Butter can be frozen up to a year+. Some industrious folks have learned how to can butter, but that craft has escaped me. I may give it a try at some later date. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW-uvaegwUI

Cold water fish are quite fatty, providing the body with many needed nutrients. Cod liver oil will keep in the refrigerator for several months and is an excellent source of vitamin D.

Oh, by-the-way, organic chicken fat makes awesomely, delicious sugar cookies! What this all boils down to is the more you know the less you need in any situation.

And Bob? Bob was suffering from the same nutritional deficiency as the Corp of Discovery group had suffered. He had plenty of food none of which had fat. The deer and rabbits he hunted were also very lean and offered no fat. He lived thanks to the person that recused him. That family had thought to store lots of fat products and knew which animals had a higher body fat content for hunting.

Bob was lucky in this case but he should have understood that most freeze dried food is devoid of usable fat content. Adding fat shortens the life span of the product and can make the whole bag of whatever, go rancid. Having said that you can purchase #10 cans of powdered butter and peanut butter, I can't guarantee the fat content on those products. You will need to do some research on the brand. Now is the time to learn about fats, before the crisis.

For further study;

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-super-healthy-high-fat-foods#section7

Learn more about collecting and using fat for your survival prep

https://www.youtube.com/watch? Rendering fat