Sunday, February 3, 2008

How to clean your portable water filter

US Survival Forum Home Page

When you get back from your hiking or camping trip, it is important to clean your water filter - if you have used it that is.

Items needed - a measuring cup, bleach, some tap water and of course your water filter.

Measure 32 ounces of water to 2 table spoons of bleach. Unscented bleach should be used. But all I had was this rain scent so it had to do.



Put the pre-filter into the bleach water solution and pump all 32 ounces through your filter.

After you get to the bottom of the bleach solution, you will have to take the pre-filter off to get the rest of the solution out.

After you have pumped all the bleach - water solution through the filter, use just a touch of tap water and pump it through the filter. You might be able to skip this step, but because my bleach was scented, I wanted to flush my filter.

Take the filter apart, remove the pre-filter from its housing and let air dry for at least 24 hours. I had sand in my filter, from when I did not use the pre-filter, so I had to remove the sand as well.

Once the filter has dried, put it back together, wrap the hoses around it and put it in storage.

The discussion thread on this article can be found at this link.

Friday, February 1, 2008

Information on Cucumbers

The "Pickling cucumber" will be about 3 inches long and about an inch in diameter when it is ready to be harvested. If the cucumber is allowed to ripen too long on the vine, the seeds will harden, making the cucumber hard to eat.
The Pickling cucumber is smaller and faster growing then some of the other cucumbers on the market. Being smaller has the advantage as there is less waste. Most families will not eat a full size cucumber at every meal. Because cucumbers are high production plants, it is very easy to grow more then a person or family can eat.



Cucumber on a vine.

survival garden cucumbers home gardening



For the most part, cucumbers are disease and pest resistant. This makes them an excellent choice for low maintenance gardens. The two big draw backs to cucumbers - they require a lot of nitrogen in the soil and they require a lot of water. The roots of cucumber plants run just under the top of the soil. So any lack of rain fall can affect the plant.



Cucumber plants produce a long vine, so they will need plenty of room to grow.

survival garden cucumbers home gardening



Freshly picked cucumbers straight from the garden.

survival garden cucumbers home gardening



It would be very easy to get this many cucumbers every few days from the garden.

survival garden cucumbers home gardening



Cucumbers do not have a high amount of nutrients in them. When the skin is removed, just about all of the nutrients are removed.
When saving the seeds from a cucumber, it is important to leave the cucumber on the vine for as long as possible. This means just that "as long as possible" - until the vine dies, or until the cucumber burst open.



This cucumber is the same type that is in the sink. It has been left on the vine to over ripen so the seeds can be harvested.

survival garden cucumbers home gardening




Advantages of cucumbers - high production plants, easy to grow and require little maintenance. Very easy to grow more then a family can eat.



Disadvantages of cucumbers - high nitrogen requirements, require a lot of water, do not produce a lot of nutrients in the cucumber, require a lot of room for the vines to run.



When buying cucumber seeds, avoid "hybrid" plants, as they may produce an non-fertile fruit. Pickling cucumbers are usually a heirloom plant, making them a good choice if saving the seeds is desired.

Be sure to visit the Survival Discussion Board and Forum.