4 Unconventional Uses For Mustard

Mustard is a great addition to anybody’s kitchen. Not only is it a potent ingredient that will better the taste of pretty much anything it touches (almost anything), but it’s also very healthy. It’s very rich in selenium, nutrients and antioxidants, making it reputable for combating inflammations and relaxing muscles. A single teaspoon of yellow mustard seeds packs about 85mg of omega 3 fats (the good type of fat), 25mg of potassium (K), 29mg of phosphorus (P), 18mg of calcium (Ca) and about 10mg of magnesium (Mg). With so many beneficial elements, no wonder people have been consuming it since antiquity. To Romans were the first to add the mustard seed to their diet, by mixing the ground mustard seeds with wine; the overall result was a condiment which was vastly used in Roman cuisine. The Egyptians saw it also a symbol of good fortune, so they tossed mustard seeds in the tombs of the pharaohs, so they’d have good luck in their next life. The medicinal benefits however, were fully understood later on, in medieval times. The French monks used a mustard-based paste, which was used in treating many ailments: it was used for back pain and muscular relief, for toothaches, as a digestive stimulant, for improving blood circulation and clearing up the sinuses. As you can see, it’s an all-purpose tool, and next, I’m going to explain further uses for mustard.

1. Smell Remover

The potent and active enzymes found in mustard will take out any unwanted odor from almost anything. Whether it’s sweat, food smells or even the smell of some disappointing perfume or fabric softener, worry not! Just make a mixture out of 3 gallons of hot water and 1 – 2 cups of dried mustard. Mix it well and add some to a spray bottle. You can spray it to your car tires, the rims, the underbody of the car, the trunk and the car mats. After the bad smell is gone, you can spray with water and clean with a piece of dry cloth. You could also try spraying the solutions on smelly pieces of clothing, but mustard spots are usually very tricky to remove.

2. Natural weedwacker

If you have your very own garden and you’re reluctant to using chemical agents in dealing with your weed problem, you’ll be glad to know that mustard is the eco-friendly way of getting the job done. If you want to, you can event plant mustard every here and there, but its even easier to scatter mustard seeds all around the garden. When the mustard seeds come in direct contact with the soil, they’ll discharge some specific nutrients. These nutrients make the soil hostile territory for all sorts of weeds; you’ll reduce your weed problem dramatically. However, mustard can be detrimental to some plants that you might not want gone from your garden, so do some reading on the subject a bit.

3. Burn relief

Mustard works really well on relieving the pain caused by burning accidents, no matter how deep the burn. The first thing you’ll need to do is to get your burned area under cold, running, water. This will alleviate some of the initial stinging sensations and will also clean the burned area. After 20 – 30 seconds, stop the “water treatment” and grab a hold on the jar of mustard. Any type of mustard will do, just spread some all over the burned area and wait a few seconds. The pain should cease in a matter of seconds. Keep in mind though that this is a temporary pain relief solution, not a treatment; you should get yourself checked by a doctor a.s.a.p. to avoid complications.

4. Emergency dishwashing soap

If you’ve run out of dishwashing soap or liquid and you still have tons of dishes to do, once again you can turn to mustard. No need in making that extra trip to the market;

if you have some mustard powder (paste works too) and some baking soda, you’re fine. Just add the two together (2 parts mustard, 1 part baking soda) and mix them up. Apply the resulting mix on the dishes (which have been previously washed with water) and let it sit for 5 – 7 minutes. Once the time is up, simply rinse them with water. You’ll be amazed at how sparkly they’ll be!

I am sure that you’ve understood by now the importance of having some mustard around the house, be it paste, powder or seeds. Mustard can do so much more than making your hotdogs tastier, it will get you out of all sorts of predicaments.

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DIY Fertilizers: The Cheap & Easy Way

As I’ve touched on the subject of survival gardening many times before and I’ve advocated growing your own, private vegetable or even fruit garden, I’m sure that my suggestions have resonated with many of my readers. And if you share my view that your private garden will be your main source of getting fresh produce once the big markets close down, you’ll like what you’ll “see” next. Of course, serious gardening requires some knowledge, skill and preparation. You’ll need a bit of practice, as I’ve said before, to actually get the desired results. And you’ll need a bit of financial investment too. But even so, survival gardening can still be run on a tight budget, especially in the fertilizer department. The last thing you’ll need to throw your many at is professional fertilizing agents. Don’t get me wrong, these products work, they get the job done, but there are plenty alternatives you’ll find around the house that will work just as well. And most of the stuff you can use as fertilizer would normally be considered waste, and you’d be throwing it away without being aware of its life-sustaining properties.

First and foremost, you need to understand what fertilizer actually is and why it is so important. Plants, in order to grow and develop require certain amounts of nutrients. Sometimes, what the soil provides just isn’t enough. Fertilizer is added to make sure that plants won’t stagnate and that the crops will be plentiful, counteracting a possible depletion of nutrients in the soil. There are 3 major ranks of nutrients that your garden will need:

• Rank I nutrients (that are needed in large quantities): P (phosphorus), K (potassium) and N (nitrogen)

• Rank II nutrients (that are needed in moderate quantities): Mg (magnesium), Ca (calcium) and S (sulfur)

• Rank III nutrients (that are needed in small quantities): Fe (iron), Mn (manganese), Mo (molybdenum), Zn (zinc) and B (Boron)

If you wish to have healthy and nutritious plants, you’ll have to assure that they get most of these beneficial elements during their development. The lack of nutrients won’t allow the plants to develop normally and may even cause their premature death. So fertilizer it’s a must! Let’s have a look at some of the best DIY fertilizers you can find around the house.

Eggshells

As the old saying goes, you can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs. But after the omelette is done, don’t throw the egg shells away, they’ll make a great addition to your gardening plan. Eggshells contain a great amount of Ca (calcium), which is extremely important for cellular growth and development. Calcium is one of the elements in the soil that get depleted fastest while plants are growing, so adding some back into the circuit would be extremely beneficial to your garden. Grind the shells into a thin powder and sprinkle them on the ground; that should do it. The shells also contain N and phosphoric acid.

Banana peels

The banana peel is yet another object you’d be tempted to discard right away. But bananas are rich in potassium (K), and so are its peels. Adding banana peels to your garden would ensure rich and well-developed crops, as potassium (K) is a rank I ingredient, which plants can’t get enough of. Not only is it beneficial to all sorts of fruit and veggies, but ornamental plants are loving it also. Don’t throw the peel on the ground directly, rather rip it into shreds and place it in the hole before planting for optimum efficiency.

Coffee grounds

Coffee grounds are an excellent source of magnesium (Mg) potassium (K) and nitrogen (N) and would make great ”food” for the plants. But adding them to the soil will increase the overall pH, so it’s generally recommended to use them more for plants who strive in a more acid environment like tomatoes, avocados, blueberries, azaleas etc. Before scattering them on the ground, it’s best if you let them dry first. You should scatter them lightly, around the plants.

Fire ash

As long as you have ash leftovers from the fireplace or if you’ve been camping all night, you also have a good means of fertilizing your garden. Ash is rich in potassium (K) and calcium carbonate, which will do wonders for growing fruit and vegetables. The ash method works best for plants that love alkaline surroundings; so don’t use the ashes on acid-loving plants. And if the ashes are the result of a fire to which charcoal or lighter fluid was added, don’t use them. The residual agents will harm the plants. So use 100% wood ashes only.

Hair

Yes, that’s correct: hair. Any sort of hair will do, be it from people, dogs cats and pretty much any other creature you can think of. Hair is naturally packed with nitrogen, so if you’ll sprinkle it across the garden, you’ll supply the growing plants with a much-needed nitrogen (N) boost. Get hair wherever you can find it: scrap it off brushes and save the trimmings from cutting your hair; you can also visit your local barber shop for great amounts of hair that they would otherwise just throw away. Just offer to get it off their hands for free and they’ll most likely let you have it.

And there you have it, some of the easiest and cheapest methods of ensuring the right nutrients for you survival garden. Not only are these methods cheap and convenient, but they’re also very efficient. If it was money that was in your way of getting your hands dirty and your thumbs green, problem solved! You can now have your garden, and on a budget too.

By My Family Survival Plan

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The Benefits Of Coffee In Your Survival Stash

The Benefits Of Coffee In Your Survival Stash. Photo – Pixabay (PD)

Can you imagine starting off each day without having that first cup of coffee in the morning? I can’t, and I’m pretty sure that most of you can’t either. And in all fairness, how could we? It’s hard to be responsible and functional adults without that boost and the “friendly kick in the rear” that coffee gives us. Caffeine gives us just a bit of energy to get us started through the day and on top of it all, the habit of having a cup of coffee is social activity that often times brings people together, by opening the door for socializing and small talk.

If coffee is such a necessity in our day-to-day average lives, imagine how much more we’re going to need it in a survival situations, when social structures will fall and we’ll be forced to fend for ourselves. Life will be infinitely harder and stressful, as we’ll find ourselves in a struggle for procuring the simplest necessities, like food and water. You’ll need to keep your strength up, have a clear head and keep your wits about you. And there’s no better way of boosting yourself than to add some coffee to your survival provisions.

Coffee Improves Your Health

Coffee has been known to have beneficial effects when it comes to human health, but this only applies to fresh coffee that you brew at home. The processed one tends to lose its beneficial traits. According to a study released in 2012 by the National Institute of Health, coffee drinkers have a higher life expectancy. And it’s no wonder if you consider that the drink is a major source of antioxidants, which reduce overall inflammation and the danger of succumbing to respiratory cardiovascular diseases. The study previously mentioned also states that coffee drinking prevents other afflictions as well, like diabetes, strokes, and infections.

Coffee Boosts Energy And Mental Alertness

And we’re back to what coffee does best: gives energy when there’s need for it. The caffeine is plentiful in the coffee beans, and this is the main source of energy that gets us started in the morning. It stimulates the adrenal gland that releases cortisol, a steroid hormone, which acts upon the sugar reserves stored in the liver. The result is a burst of energy, which won’t last for very long, but it will be more than enough to get you up and running, especially when willpower just isn’t enough. Coffee is being consumed by humans for ages. In certain zones in Africa, hunters wrap coffee berries in animal fat. They consume them for extra energy when they’re out hunting, to increase stamina and awareness. Apart from the energy boost, this wonder drink also increases mental alertness; it gets you thinking clearly and very aware of your surroundings. That’s why preppers shouldn’t go without it when SHTF. Because of its wonderful properties, coffee has been a part of the military way of life for decades now. Caffeine consumption has been encouraged greatly amongst our troops, even if it comes in the form of tea or caffeine-based chewing gum.

Coffee Improves Morale And Reduces Depression And Suicide Rate

Having a cup of coffee every once in a while can be a great morale booster, as well as energizing. Especially in a survival scenario when the whole world will seem to have been turned upside down. Coffee, just like other familiar rituals, will give you a sense of normalcy which will make the ordeal just a bit more bearable. The smell and taste of coffee will work towards keeping your morale up, just as well as it will keep you alert at all times. If your spirit is up, depression will be kept at bay. Studies have shown a direct correlation between low rates of depression and suicide amongst those who drink two or more cups of coffee a day. So if you want to make your doomsday experience a bit more bearable, don’t forget to add coffee to your survival stash. But use it wisely, as reserves will be limited.

If you’ve been convinced by now, waste no more time and start stocking up on the wonder-beans as soon as possible. Coffee products don’t have a very long shelf life and it’s not native to North America. The best option you have is to procure freeze-dried coffee that you can store for long periods of time. When you need it, just take it out, roast it and grind it yourself.

By My Family Survival Plan