Preps

Apple Fermentation Bread

My state is home to a place with a unique and important role in the history of our country. It is a bit difficult to locate this place due to its remoteness. The official name of it was Black Hills Ordnance Depot. It was home to over 800 concrete munitions bunkers nestled into the prairie in a very unassuming neighborhood. Grazing cows and warbling meadowlarks are more likely to be seen than something as foreboding as a series of neatly aligned concrete domes. The bunkers were built during WWII as a way to increase our country's ammunition storage capabilities. A town named Igloo was built near the bunkers to provide services to those who were in charge of the operation. In 1967, the Depot was closed, the community was disbanded and the houses were moved to other locations. But the bunkers remained.

A resurgence of interest has occurred due to new ownership of the land and the bunkers. An organization dedicated to providing safe sites for humanity to flee to in the event of human or natural disasters is selling the bunkers as potential homes for those who share a philosophy of preparedness. A couple of years ago, my husband and I attempted to check out the place but the ominous, turn-back-now words spray-painted near the entrance rattled me. My husband was unfazed and was ready to keep driving forward. I threatened to jump out of the vehicle and because I have a history of doing so, he wisely turned around. The bunkers' website may be as close as we will get.  

Out of curiosity, I checked into the process of becoming a member of their community. They have an application form which includes a checklist of skills you can bring to the group. After reading through the list, it was clear that my husband would have an edge. He is a skilled carpenter. He knows how to hunt, fish and he is a master gardener. I, on the other hand, am a preparedness loser. Yes, I am a skilled talker and I can make a mean cheesecake but most of what I do would likely be considered a liability. 

In an attempt to bolster my self esteem, my daughter and husband remind me that I might have hidden talents that could be useful. My recent forays into food fermentation seem promising. I can bake bread without commercial yeast. I can take surplus vegetables and preserve them with just a container, potable water and some salt. My novice status in this process doesn't guarantee food safety, yet. But that might be the least of our worries if we are staving off a zombie apocalypse. Perhaps, I could entertain others with a tale or two around the campfire if preppers do such a thing. I can identify many birds of my state and I love bleach. Surely, that has to count for something. 

Despite my husband's definite tilt toward usefulness, I reminded him that we both have one big strike against us and that is age. I doubt the bunker community wants to commit to too many folks with impending health needs unless we can prove that we know how to forage our way to stable health. And, as I reminded my husband, I am not sure I want to stake my life on a community of folks who are more nervous about impending doom than I am. Seems like a skittish business to me. 

Apple Fermentation; Green Tomato Fermentation;
Pepper Fermentation