Hello, my friend and welcome back! Improvising or repurposing items around you will be a key factor in surviving in a post SHTF world, so you better get ready. In today’s post, we are going to look at some common items which you can use to create new items that will make life a lot easier. Grab a cup of coffee and have a seat while we visit.
As Preppers, we are all keenly aware of the fact that you can’t stock up on everything, you may possibly need, in a post SHTF world. Even the things we do stock up on will eventually become used up or worn out. And your ability to create new items from old worn out junk will make the difference in your everyday life.
So what are some of the everyday items that we may need to replace? While there are many, let’s look at just a few. Something many people surprisingly do not think about is an Oven or cooking surface. They have grills or a small pot belly stove or maybe a fireplace where they plan to cook. With the exception of the fireplace, they will eventually need to be replaced, as the end of their expected lifetime comes to an end.
As for the oven, you could build an earthen oven for baking biscuits and bread. They have been used for thousands of years and are still in use in many parts of the world. The problem is that they require clay to build them and many places do not have clay available. So now what do you do? You improvise! What you need is something that is totally enclosed, fireproof, and has a door which can be opened to add or remove items. Small file cabinets are one option. With a little modification, they can easily be made into an oven which when placed over a fire, will heat up rapidly and allow you to bake your items.
If you need a lower temperature, you could place a metal pan with hot coals on top of the file cabinet which works nicely. There are many other items which can be made into a make-shift oven if you just use your imagination.
Other items which can be made into useful items are things like the metal stands that are stuck in the ground to support hanging plants. These are great for making a spit to use over a fire for cooking. Just cut the long straight part to the shaft to the size you need. Because they are made of iron, you will need to season them before using them by coating them with cooking oil or animal fat, then slowly heating them over a fire for several hours until the excess oil burns off. Trust me when I say they are much better than sticks for cooking on.
Old car rims are another great item for cooking on. If you look on the internet, you can find dozens of examples of how to use them. By stacking them you can create a heated surface which is great for cooking and heating food. They can be used to keep you coffee warm and hot while you do other things. Old cars and vans which can be sealed tight make great dehydrators on a sunny day. Just think about how hot it gets in the summer. OK, enough about cooking, it’s making me hungry.
So what else might you need to create? One that comes to mind is coffee filters. While you can make cowboy coffee without a filter, using a small piece of cotton cloth to make a reusable coffee filter is much better. Simply use an old piece of cotton cloth and rinse it after each use. Of course, that old drip coffee pot could eventually get a hole in it or become unusable. What then?
If you have access to a couple of used, metal coffee cans or other cans about the size you need, then take 2 of them and clean them real good. Next turn one of them upside down and take a small nail and punch holes all over the bottom to allow the coffee to drip through and yet support a makeshift filter. Place the can with the hole in it on the top and the can without on the bottom so that the top is suspended above the bottom one. Using a piece of cloth as a filter, add your coffee grinds to it and then pour hot water slowly over the grinds. When finished, check the coffee and see if it is dark enough. If not then drain the coffee into another container and pour it over the coffee until it is dark enough for your taste.
Where there is a will, there is a way as they say and in a post SHTF world, it will be truer than ever. By simply using your imagination, and a little hard work, you can make almost anything; you just have to try! If you have some ideas of other items which can be quickly converted to replace worn out items or to make new ones, please add them to the comments below.
Well, I guess that is it for today and I hope you have enjoyed today’s post. Until next time, stay safe, stay strong and stay prepared. God Save America!
-Sarge-
My grandmother used to heat up water in a large pot, throw the coffee directly in and add a little salt. then seive and enjoy. We in southern FL don’t need to add the salt, but the majority of the country will find it makes the water less hard. Another old-timer method was to crack an egg once coffee had been added.
For me, my wife searched the world over and at Goodwill and other used stores , and on eBay found the old Revere-ware copper bottom/stainless steel coffee percolators in 6 and 12-cup size. The 12-cup has a camper swing handle that is perfect for any heat source.
A little known fact. Coffee, if kept in a cool, dry, air-tight, low oxygen environment, can be kept over 20+ years. In fact, like tea, certain bacteria naturally occurring in the closed container coffee, will enhance the flavor. That is why certain Western Pacific coffees are so bad that they are aged at least a year before they are packaged. Also note, the darker the roast, the stronger the coffee tanins, but the lower the caffeine. Highest caffeine is ALWAYS a lighter roast.
Good information Daniel. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
All too often, I have found myself in situations where I had no common way to brew a batch…I got inventive…think I might write a book on the topic…
As a last resort you can pull some chicory and make a sort of coffee from it.
You sound like you like coffee as much as I do. 🙂
Made coffee on a kerosene heater, in a stock pot, using a new sock like a tea bag. Put the grounds in and hung it from the side.
surviving SHTF does NOT revolve around drinking coffee!
Speak for yourself. I ‘m not sure I would want to live in a world without Coffee! Even if it’s made out of dried leaves from some weed. 🙂
WHAT KIND OF CRAZY ARE YOU!!! LOL….ever hear of the “boston coffee party”??? There’s a reason for that….put that in yer cup and drink it!!! lol…
Necessity is the Mother of all invention and ingenuity is the Father.
That should read “without a fancy coffee maker”.
This morning, my keurig coffee maker decided it was done making coffee. My wife and I both stood in the kitchen with empty cups in our hands and shocked looks on our faces. I realized how important coffee is to us and how cranky we can get if we don’t have it. I think I will be experimenting with this method as well as trying to come up with other methods of making coffe with a fancy coffee maker. The Army taught me that our bodies can endure far more than we think it can, but nothing is bearable with out coffee.
AMEN Brother! I think I have more coffee in my preps than anything else. 🙂 All I need to survive is coffee, bullets, and cigars. 🙂
you would be suprised what can be brewed up to taste like coffee. they came up with some inventive ways in the depression. chicory root is used for one . It is dried chopped up and roasted it takes practice to find the way it tastes like you want. the best part we have plenty of it around. they also use roasted wheat but it is not as good. I have tried both. one can buy the bean on the net and grow your own.
Grampa
Good information Grampa! Thanks! 🙂