Producing Cooking Oils When Shtf

As I have been living a lot off our preps due to hunkering down, I’ve been watching our burn rate for certain supplies. This got me thinking about what to do if the world turns to crap, and my cooking oil supplies run out. As a kid, we pretty much used only lard from pig fat, or simple bacon grease for everything since we raised pigs and were dirt poor.

From my research, extra virgin olive oil has the longest shelf life of up to 3 years. Does anyone else have good tasting oils that last longer?

Since I don’t currently have or plan to raise pigs up in Alaska, I know the old timers would use lard from black bears. There are plenty around, so this is a useful source. I hear if the bear hasn’t been eating fish, the oils from the black bear is pretty tasty.

What other sources of oils does your preps include? I know oils aren’t as fun to talk about as guns, so let’s see if this important prep gets any discussion.

 

Moose have a lot of fat in the fall, but would not harvest a bull after Sept. 10'th. Beaver is also full of good tasting fat. I think maybe coconut oil has a ten year storage life. How long is canned Crisco good for. Maybe keep it in the freezer. I keep a huge amount of Walmart "Great Value" butter in my freezers of 5 or 6 years.......tastes fresh to me, as I like eating frozen butter, like a popsicle.

 

I too was going to mention beaver fat. Not sure about Alaska but historically in Appalachia harvesting a bear was a big event. One of the reasons was the bear grease. I imagine it wasn't much different other places.

 

First, I have not done this myself yet, but I have a few different versions of instructions to make vegetable oil.
You can use sunflower seeds which I think would be easiest as sunflowers are relatively easy to grow. The black oil sunflower seeds like the ones fed to birds have more oil. But also walnuts pumpkin etc
A 2 liter bottle of sunflower seed should give about a quart of oil. You can buy a little home hand crank oil press like this one or I have seen automatic ones on Amazon

https://www.lehmans.com/product/hand-cranked-oil-press

Once you have made the oil let it sit for 24 hours for sediment to settle. Pour the top clear oil into a container for storage.
I have read that sealed and stored correctly this home made oil may last up to 2 years. But again I don't have personal experience to confirm that.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Hoosier-Hill...88562133&sprefix=Powdered,grocery,287&sr=8-13

Powdered BUTTER

 

OMG, I didn't realise you could buy powdered butter. I wonder if they sell it in Aus? How interesting.

I don't use a lot of oil for anything really, so it's not a major priority for me personally. Having said that, I am contemplating growing olive trees. Not sure how they'll go but I'll give it a shot.

 

Oils, fats and lards can be used in the preserving of certain foods. It's also high calorie which maybe a necessity after SHTF if you end up doing a lot of physical activity. It is also used in everything from providing light to making soap. In a long term or permanent situation I think it would be important to have a renewable source.

 

Manual Oil Press:
http://www.easyoilpress.com/sunflower-oil-press.html

Extracting Sunflower oil by hand:


A bottle jack can be used as a press with just a few simple fixtures made from pipe.

 

Extracting coconut oil with a bottle jack:

 

Fall bear fat is great if they haven't been eating fish. If there feeding on nuts or berries it's almost identical to lard. I've had caribou fat rendered like tallow and thought it was great. Never had moose fat. In Alaska if you could make it to the ocean you always have seal, walrus or whale fat to fall back on after a major SHTF event. Just a thought. Around here (WV) I prefer lard or bear fat to most other oils.

Dale

 

Has anyone here produced acorn oil. I know they are about 30% oil but I'm not sure how to deal with the tannins in the oil. I do know hickory nut oil is very good and a great source of magnesium. In the lower 48 states acorn oil could be a great help during a SHTF if you can deal with the Tannins. Does anyone know of any other non-crop sources of oils?

Dale

 

Don't eat the Liver from the "Seals".........it is fatal, overdose of Vitamin A.
I am on the Ocean, and have two types of whales, and Harbor Seals. No Walrus.

 

Don't polar bears have the same thing. I seem to remember something about not eating there livers.

Dale

 

I think you are correct........after'all they mainly live on seals and some fish, scavenged dead whales.

I read once that the Polar Bear only has one "Natural" enemy........The Killer Whale (ORCA). There are very-very-very few animals that only have one or "NO" natural enemies.
The Polar Bears are also killers and eaters of Polar Bear "CUBS".

The Polar Bears are being found far-far from the ocean, over 150 miles inland and not returning to the ocean. They are cross breeding with Grizzly Bears. Not much of this as yet, but still interesting.

 

I believe you can get oil from walnuts and hazelnuts as well.

For acorns when making acorn flour you can leach out the tannins by soaking the acorns. Either in cold water over a few days changing the water when it gets darker. Or in boiling water over a few hours changing the water again when it gets darker. But you shouldn't let the acorns cool down. Once done dry acorns completely or they will rot. Only problem is I am unsure if this method of removing tannins will affect the oil in the acorns as well.

 

You said before you were on a mountain.
Is your mountain in the ocean?

 

Ain't no mountain high enough... ♫♪♫♪♫♪

 

In Alaska there are thousands of miles of coastline that where Mountains rise straight out of the ocean. Unfortunately I don’t have property along this part of our great state. I’m in the great interior. I’m sure Sourdough will be along soon enough to answer your question.

 

Actually Alaska has many-many mountains in the ocean, most are volcano mountains, but they are a mountain islands totally surrounded by the ocean.

Well you can actually live on a mountain, that has ocean frontage, and river frontage, and lake frontage. All "Four" at the same location. Hard to find, but possible.

A person can live on a mountain at the top, at the bottom, or any place in between. A person living at any elevation can accurately state they are living on a mountain. I think that when you hear someone say they live on a mountain, your inclined to think they live near the top, not down towards the lower elevation, where it fronts the ocean.

 

I go by exactly what you say.
You often contradict yourself.

You "say" you have to go down off the mountain to get your mail, and you haven't been off the mountain in months.

But then you've also said you lived in "downtown Sunrise, AK", which contradicts other things you said too.

 

Can you "NOT" grasp that is accurate. If you live part way up a mountain, and lower down the mountain (at a lower elevation) is where the mail is, then they are both on the same mountain.

Think of it this way........a tall building has many floors. If a person goes down from the 32'nd floor to the mail room, which is on the eighth floor. It is all in the same tall building.

 

That does not mean that you fully comprehend what I say. You draw conclusions based on your life experiences. Those experiences may or may not include many decades living in Alaska.

When someone in Florida or Iowa talks about a mountain, that is not the same visualization that a Alaskan has of a mountain.

What in Alaska is named a "Creek" in Georgia they would name a "River". Alaska has world famous "Class 4 and Class 5" White Water rafting on "Creeks". Many would look and say, "That ain't a creek that is a wild raging Class 5 River".

In the lower 48 states there is a hell of a lot of ocean coastline frontage. But if you add up all of it, including on both oceans, it is still less ocean coastline then Alaska has.

Alaska is the most Northern state in America. It is also the most Eastern state in America, and also the most Western state in America. So an Alaskan might in one post claim to be living in the most Eastern American state. And in another post claim to be living in the most Western American state. Both true and accurate. But seemingly conflicting statements.

 

Good morning Dale,

You've got a good memory.

You probably read it in FM 21-76, SURVIVAL, My copy is 1957. The newest versions, if any, probably say to share Judy Kit granola bars with enemy.

On page 190, e. (3): [Polar bears] "avoid them if possible, but if necessary to kill one for food do not eat the liver. It is dangerous because of its high concentration of vitamin A. Never eat polar bear meat unless it is cooked. It is always diseased".

 

This is beside of the ocean and you can see the mountains.



South of Anchorage, AK.

Dale

 

It's not his mountain.

That looks more like a small bay to me.
That would match the claim of "downtown Sunshine".

 

I comprehend quite well.

I "grasp" that much of what you say contradicts many other things you say.

That sounds like the Tequila talking again.
AK has a high rate of alcoholics and drug abusers too.

 

If you lived in Alaska.......or if you even bothered to consult a map of Alaska, you would know that Downtown Sunshine, Alaska is a very long ways from any ocean. It is actually located in the interior of Alaska. It is somewhat near Trappers Creek, Alaska. On the Susitna River.

For the new members here "Snyper" is a Troll, on this forum and about 15 other forums. He's had a sick and perverted obsession with me for last eleven years. Federal Law Enforcement and State of Alaska Law Enforcement have been advised.

 

Snyper,

1. How do you know it's not his mountain? LOL!

2. Bays are a part of oceans. The contain marine life and also estuaries. That particular bay has belugas, orcas and humpback whales all using it a times as well as pinnipeds, sea otters and more.

Good to see you never change Snyper. Have a good day.

Dale

 

The odds are in my favor.

That changes nothing I said though.

 

LOL

More lies. It's all you do.

Why can't you simply admit the truth?

 

Snyper, any chance you can stay on topic?

 

I've had this Snyper on my Ignore list for a while now. I just took it off the list to see what all of this was about.

Sourdough shared the following:
"'Snyper'" is a Troll, on this forum and about 15 other forums."

Thank you, Sourdough.

OK, so now I understand. Makes sense. Gonna put snyper back on Ignore. If anyone sees that I am ignoring it's posts, my Ignore switch is on for the clinical trolls. During my life, I've been paid to work with the mentally ill (one of my degrees is in Psych) and that is a personal policy of mine. Honestly, I'm not dealing with that disorder area unless paid to do so.

Click, the "Ignore snyper" feature is back on.