After making more rocket stoves I have been thinking about the importance of fuel. It is great to have a year supply of food- but how are we supposed to cook it? Or make a fire to stay warm if we need to? Or see at night? There are different solutions for all of these issues that I would like to discuss. One option is newspaper fire logs. You can start saving old news papers if you receive it at home, know someone who does and doesn’t keep them, or retrieve old papers out of dumpsters. When making these I prefer the wet method to the dry method because they stay together better. I want to say they would burn for longer too but you can do which ever method you would like. For the wet method soak the newspaper overnight in water with a squirt of detergent. Take the newspaper out of the water and lay flat (outside will be best) Smack it good with a mallet. It will cause it to be more like paper mache- and it will stick together well. Roll it up tight on a dowel or boom stick handle squeezing the water out as you go, and keeping the log nice and tight. Slide it off one end of the dowel and let it dry in the sun standing on one end for a day. You should get about 2 to 3 logs out of one paper. The dry method is much easier as it is just rolling up dry newspaper and the securing it in place with string. These can be stored just about anywhere- outside with your regular logs protected under a tarp or in the attic in a garbage bag etc. They will help prolong the life of you wood, as they can help get your wood burning or make a fire all on their own. If you are thinking “I don’t have any firewood” then I would suggest in getting some. I am not talking about paying 10 dollars a bundle from a gas station- I am talking free wood. Start looking on Craigslist (just don’t pick it up alone- there are some freaks on Craigslist) People are always trying to get rid of wood, and it does not need to be nice logs; Scrap 2x4 will burn just fine. Dryer lint is great to save for starting a fire- and it is free! Charcoal (and a charcoal grill) is another thing you can have. The charcoal will need to be kept dry and can be stored in big buckets, 55 gallon drums or steel trash cans. Look for it on sale, around Holiday’s like the 4th of July. A Solar oven is on my wish list, and will be a must when there is no electricity. I spoke to a sister at a Stake Activity who said after a hurricane in Florida there were people who did not have electricity for 6 months! A solar oven would be crucial. I must give a shout out to the rocket stove. Not only are they light, cheap, and easy to make but are so efficient and can cook a meal on a couple of sticks, which will be important when fuel is in a shortage. If you still want to make one let me know. Kerosene is also a great option and there are different local sources to purchase it. Kerosene needs to be stored in a safety can away from direct sunlight and sources of heat i.e. water heater. You can purchase the kerosene lanterns for cheap at garage sales or places like craigslist. I got a new one at China-Mart for was a good price. Matches are very important of course! Matches and ammo are two things you can never have enough of!! I would estimate maybe 6-8 matches a day for cooking needs, and you know as soon as you light one the wind kicks up and kills it- so you need a second. My husband loves his Plumbing torch for a fuel source. He says the tanks last forever, will light a fire quick, and you can store it anywhere (just away from direct heat sources). Flashlights stored with some extra batteries. You can tape the batteries around the outside of the flashlight so you have them ready to go, and the power will not slowly drain out of them. Also for indoor light at night I like the solar lights that people use to line their walk ways. They can sit out during the day and charge, and then come in at night. I like these because they require no matches to light, and there is no smoke or flame for my kids to burn themselves with. When we have power outages I always realize how important light really is, and I do not think it was a coincidence that one of the first things the Lord did was separate the light from dark. Candles are another choice. They can be purchased cheap at thrift stores or you can make them yourself. Do I smell an FHE activity?? I am practical and like to use soup cans- but for you crafty ladies there are molds. There are a lot of ideas on the internet; I have a great way to make them let me know if you are interested. Just remember do not let the paraffin wax boil- it will explode. Just keep it warm enough so it will pour. Propane is easy to store, and is readily available. I know some sisters that have a propane oven/stove combo. And most people have propane grills.
A fireplace Rotisserie is a different fireplace option, also a fireplace grill. You can find both of those on the internet. Dutch oven is a delicious way to cook, and smart too. You can cook Dutch oven style in your fireplace or on an open fire with the right hinge and some cast-iron. Camping is a great time to practice this cooking method. I would suggest investing in cast-iron cook wear. It is just a smart choice all the way around and retains heat so well that in a worst case you are using less fuel. Skewer cooking is usually thought if for roasting marshmallows- but can be used for lots of things from hot dogs to small game birds. I have seen long handled roasters with little cages on the end for roasting different things. Those would be nice if you had something more delicate like fish. A haybox oven is something I would like to make as an activity. Haybox cooking is an old time method and is very efficient in conserving fuel and labor. It is basically a container that is heavily insulated with hay. I have heard of people using feathers, cotton, straw or wool to insulate. After bringing the food to boil (in cast iron- cough) you place it in the haybox to continue cooking. So instead of using fuel to cook the meal entirely you only use the fuel to get the meal to a boiling point, and the haybox does the rest. It is an especially great way to cook soups, chili, beans, and potatoes. There are lots of different options on how to make them, you can search the internet- just make sure whatever you choose will withstand heat. Depending on the situation that you were cooking in this would be safe because you could bring the food inside to finish cooking, and there would be limited amount of smoke for thieves to smell and see. You need to think about the risk of being a smoke signal. In certain situations if the world is really dangerous you do not want to advertise “hey- I have food! I prepared!!” And smoke will do that. We will have to talk more about that later. Apple box oven or flower pot grills are easy to make and store. Apple boxes are made from heavy duty cardboard boxes and use hot charcoal briquettes for long slow cooking. Flower pot grill is made from a terra cotta flower pot, sand and hot charcoal. More information can be found on the internet. Try this month to cook a different way than usual, and take a second look at your stored fuel to make sure you have enough for a year.
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