(Lyka discuses some of the options with us for survival stores that would keep for a long time. We talk about salting, smoking, canning and drying things to get a person or group of people through an extended period. We also hear about her times in the field with the Sirian Defense Force where salted beef was the only thing on the menu.) 

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Lyka: okay, I’m here to chat, answer questions.

Russ: excellent, excellent, we have all kinds of stuff going on right now.

Lyka: uh-huh, so I hear.

Russ: let’s see, I’m working on food stocks.

Lyka: uh-huh oh yes, for sieges.

Skip: I got plans to build a survival shelter in my backyard.

Lyka: uh-huh.

Russ: that would be unique. Above ground or….?

Skip: below ground, 12 x 12.

Lyka: 12 feet x 12 feet by…okay.

Russ: 12 x 12 x 8?

Skip: yeah, yeah, yeah but it will be 12 foot deep because it’ll be a probably three or four foot roof over the top of it.

Lyka: so that would be 2 ½ units by 2 ½ units by how tall?

Skip: 8 foot on the inside.......or 7 foot on the inside.

Lyka: okay so that would be….

Skip: come out two units.

Lyka: yeah about two units, just under. See I'm working on my maths.

Russ: doing quite well actually.

Lyka: yes that would be 1.85….

Russ: okay, the working on food sources….

Lyka: uh-huh.

Russ: how long do canned foods last?

Skip: they'll last until the cans rust.

Russ: okay.

Skip: now if they’re aluminum cans, they’re almost an indefinite storage period to them.

Lyka: but there are things that you need to be aware of. Temperature will affect them, increase in heat will make the item inside swell and possibly damage the can unnoticeably but still damaged. And once a can is damaged, you might as well open it up to the air anyway.

Russ: hmmm.

Skip: yeah because you’ll get botulism in them once they're damaged.

Lyka: uh-huh.

Skip: but if you store them in what like I was talking about, a root cellar is whatever everybody calls them, the temperature stays consistent and your moisture does not attack the foods.

Lyka: yes, you’ll have to excuse me, I was told the other day that root is a colloquialism on your planet for having sex?

(Skip laughs)

Skip: yeah, you’re correct, you're correct.

Lyka: so you have a cellar for having sex? Very good idea.

Skip: no. Okay…

Lyka: I’m teasing.

Skip: the terminology of root cellar comes from I would say probably a couple hundred years ago. The farmers or agricultural people all had a basement or an underground unit that they called a root cellar because that’s where they put all their food because it stayed at an even temperature and no moisture in it or anything else okay?

Lyka: my love (Leah) is whispering in my ear something very similar for fish that they used to have where she grew up.

Skip: now they also used smoke houses which are small buildings with the siding open probably a quarter of an inch between the slats where they smoked meat and salted it down so it would keep. I was raised that way......

Lyka: oh really?

Skip: so I’m well aware of how to store foods, how to keep meat and so on and so forth for the long period. Now meat molds….

Lyka: uh-huh.

Skip: but if it’s smoked and salted you can cut the mold off and still eat the meat.

Lyka: yes we have a delicacy we have in the field and it is ocean beef. Most Sirians only eat fish and vegetables but Oath Keepers are allowed to eat meat.

Skip: uh-huh.

Lyka: and ocean beef is beef that has been stored in ocean water.

Skip: oh saltwater, yeah okay brine is what we call it okay?

Lyka: and it will keep indefinitely. I call it a delicacy but it’s very revolting.

Skip: yes it is.

Russ: really unpalatable.

Skip: well now it’s okay but it’s tough to get by because you’ve got to mix it with other things to…

Lyka: oh yes.

Skip: make it……because you store meat in saltwater, brine, pickled pigs feet is brine okay? I’m trying to give instances of what we have in our world okay? But pickled pigs feet is stored in brine.

Russ: I’m glad I follow a Sirian doctrine of eating fish and vegetables.

Skip: well you can only keep fish so long.

Russ: that’s true, well you can jerky it.

Skip: well you can salt it down too.

Russ: yeah.

Lyka: yeah but…

Skip: but still you’re running into unpalatable thing here because you've got to mix it with stuff to be able to eat it.

Lyka: yes I have eaten it on its own, ocean beef a few times from necessity.

Skip: yeah, pickled herring, salted herring okay? Man that’s tough to handle.

Lyka: yes but….

Skip: it can be done.

Lyka: if you need to it’s passable.

Russ: now you can pickle vegetables right?

Skip: oh yes, oh yes.

Russ: and will they stay indefinitely like same thing with beef like you’re talking about?

Skip: okay the only way…..okay can I say something here hon?

Lyka: yes.

Skip: the only way that you can keep them indefinitely if they’re sealed like canned fruit or canned vegetables in the jars okay? Once you can vegetables or fruit and you pressure cook it and that takes all the air out of it okay? And you put the lid on, as long as the seal is not broken on the lid they’ll keep indefinitely yes.

Russ: hmmm.