Products That Work … and That Don't Hate Us!
Who says we cannot start helping each other right now? (DN 5.13)
Last week, we had a theoretical discussion about helping each other. Now, let’s put it into practice and actually help each other!
I don’t know about y’all, but product research has become a thing for me. A time-consuming thing.
I am no longer just looking for good reviews on product quality. I now want to know if products are good for my health and respect my privacy. I don’t really want to use hokey language like, “Does a product align with my values?” but it’s kind of true.
For example, I no longer want glyphosate in my food. That’s no longer just a concern; it has also become a value to me. So I guess the hokey language is appropriate.
I believe that we can help each other with things like this. Eventually, we can put together a sophisticated database. But even before that, we can start walking the walk.
What are your concerns? Health? Privacy? Security? Sourcing?
Are you trying to avoid plastic? Are you trying to avoid “smart” appliances? Or have you simply found something that you love and want to tell people about?
Tell us here in the comments. Share!
(If possible, put a link to the place where you got it, whatever it is, to make things easier for others.)
I will get the ball rolling…
Glyphosate-free grain
By now, most of y’all are familiar with the problems associated with glyphosate. I have been researching bulk grains certified both glyphosate-free and glyphosate-residue-free (no overspray from other farms), and I believe I have found some good options.
Ancient Grains
The first is Grand Teton Ancient Grains in Idaho. Not only do their certifications appear to be legit, but they also sell grains in bulk, packed for long-term storage, so they ring the survival/prepping bell as well.
I just bought one of their “super pails” with 43 pounds of Einkorn wheat berries. It took a little while to get here, but it got here. (I guess I’ve gotten used to Amazon Prime’s two-day thing, because anything more than that now seems like forever!)
When I checked in with them to get a tracking number, it took them a couple of days to reply. But once they did, they were very personable and helpful. They said it was their busy season.
Wheat berries last a lot longer than ground flour. Indeed, these super pails come with the berries sealed in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers. Here’s what they said in one of their replies to me,
“If they are sealed, we recommend rotating through them every 5-10 years, but they have been tested to last up to 30 years.”
That’s a long time!
You can also open the mylar bag along the top, use some of the grain, put in a new oxygen absorber, and reseal the mylar with a hair straightener iron. And the 5-gallon pail will keep out pests. Pretty cool!
Clear Creek
I also found these guys, who focus on legumes.
Legumes provide all or most of the needed amino acids, and they are comparatively inexpensive. In their dry state, if kept away from moisture and pests, they last basically forever. In a survival scenario, all of that could come in quite handy.
(Actually, I think my search for legumes started with advice from one of you. But I cannot recall now who … )
Clear Creek is not only certified glyphosate-free; they are also into regenerative agriculture and careful land management. They appear to be thinking not just about today, but about what their grandkids will inherit (something they have in common with kings, but not with democratically elected politicians).
I am considering getting these, though I have not yet pulled the trigger. Yes, it’s a fair amount of money up front, but if supply chains break down, it will be the best money you ever spent. I refuse to let my family starve.
Getting away from plastic
There is enough evidence accumulated now that plastics are bad news, especially when it comes to food. They have hormone-blocking chemicals, and microplastics are increasingly found to be the culprits in a number of health conditions.
All of this was sufficient impetus for my wife and me to begin replacing plastics with metal, glass, and wood alternatives. Here are some examples:
Drinks and stuff
We like to drink lots of elixirs and other drinks, from healthy smoothie things to iced coffee and everything in between. So here are some things that we have gotten to help make that happen in a plastic-free way.
I did a ridiculous amount of research in order to settle on this particular pour-over coffee dripper. I believe I came up with the right choice—it’s nothing but glass, stainless steel, wood, and leather. And it can be kept warm on the stove on low heat, unlike many of the alternatives.
(Correction—Santa came up with the right choice, since this, and some related gifts, magically appeared under the tree.)
I mean, do your own research, always, but if I can at least steer you towards something that works for you, you might as well benefit from the absurd amount of time ‘Santa’ spent on this subject!
That time was not just spent on the dipper; it also included looking into what gooseneck kettle to get to go along with the dripper. I actually got one before this, but I returned it because it came with rust on the inside of the spout!
I communicated with Hario about the quality of the stainless steel in theirs and was satisfied with their answers. It’s nice-looking as well, and it heats up quickly.
(Another of their competitors’ kettles could not be heated on an induction cooktop. What’s the use in that?)
These are not 100 percent plastic-free. The top is plastic, and it has a silicone seal. (And silicone is not safe when heated, even though they still tell us it is!) However, I really don’t like drinking water out of metal—it just seems to have a strange taste—so this was a decent glass solution. (I also just refill old glass bottles with metal or cork tops.)
It felt so good to get rid of our plastic drinking bottles!
I also wanted large glass jars with handles, and these fit the bill. I would have gotten them even without the tops and metal straws—but those were a really nice bonus.
The lids that came with it leak a little bit when you shake up a protein drink, which was a bummer. But I just use a standard Mason jar lid, and that works just fine.
Also, the metal straws have now entirely replaced plastic straws for us, which is cool. I got this before I went down the rabbit hole of different grades of stainless steel, but I am pretty confident that they aren’t made out of depleted uranium or anything.
And speaking of shaking stuff in these jars…
Stainless steel shaker balls for smoothies
These seem to be working well enough, and they’re good-quality 304 stainless steel (or so the manufacturer claims—certifications are rare). And you can put them in the dishwasher or just rinse them right away.
Boao 8 Compartment 304 Yakumi Pans
Okay, now this is just epic. I wanted something that would hold all the different smoothie powders in one place, so I could simply open it up and go scoop-scoop-scoop-scoop-scoop-scoop-DONE. I asked ChatGPT for a suggestion and it came up with yakumi pans, which I had never seen before.
It’s 100 percent 304-grade stainless, and it keeps the powders plenty dry. PERFECT!
More
Wood and stainless steel pourers
We got these for our olive oil bottles. So far, so good!
Glass cocktail shaker
This has a bit of silicone around the lid to create a tight seal. Not perfect, but I don’t really like Boston shakers, so I made the sacrifice. Cocktails aren’t for survival … but they are fun!
Victoria manual cast iron grain mill with high hopper
We already had a starter discussion along these lines when we talked about our newfound love for cast iron. Well, guess what I’ll be grinding up those Einkorn wheat berries with?
Stainless steel hand-crank mixer
And speaking of tools that run on muscle and bone alone … was this one worth the extra money? I don’t know. It seemed less flimsy than the choices on Amazon.
I could keep going, but that is enough for now. Let’s hear from you!
Buying power
Before I sign off, I want to put another thought out there. What starts with a small number of us helping each other out does not end there. When we get a bit more sophisticated, we can formalize all of this into a database, a process, etc. That will help.
But there’s more. When our numbers really grow, we will gain buying power, and buying power = leverage.
This is only the beginning.
Let's see, I smoke close to two packs a day (Roll my own, grow some of my own tobacco.), drink a pot of coffee a day, semi-binge drink alcohol (3-4 days or a week or more no drinking but usually at least 3 beers when I do (Brew my own beer and sake.), I don't worry about glyphosate or micro-plastics. I have for decades avoided ingesting aluminum (Coffee Mate with sodium aluminosilicate in it for example,).
Hey it works for me but I have 87 years behind me, a different approach might well be more suitable for you youngsters. ;-)
The best way to assure product purity is to grow it yourself. A window box or two of sage, rosemary and thyme, etc. can assure one's spice desires.
I still have a book on my shelves published in 1951; A few Acres and security by L. W. Steelman. It notes and lays out how on even one acre you can grow, fruit, berries garden vegetables, produce chickens turkeys, pork, eggs , milk butter cheese honey, etc.
If you live say, it Tuxedo Junction the neighbors might complain if you raised pigs. However a 12X 15 or 20 foot pen, two wiener piglets bought in the spring & butchered in the fall can well satisfy a family's pork needs. Pigs are actually rather clean animals, if the pen stinks you ain't maintaining and cleaning it right. The one time I listed it all out and calculated, my home grown pork costs me less than half (Closer to a quarter) of store bought pork at the time and tasted much better!
If you can do it yourself you save lots of money. I just had the right rear brake cylinder fail on my Jeep. I checked and repair/replacement costs average $150 to $300 around the nation, much higher here atop the world.
Replacing it myself took less than 3 hours (A lot of that time finding, the right tools banging others to fit if I didn't have the right one, etc. If I've been replacing two cylinders the second one would have taken less than half an hour.), a $22 new cylinder and maybe seven bucks worth of brake fluid.
Interesting. I use very little throw away stuff. All glass 'glassware' and clay and porcelain and metal tableware. Of course we cannot leave the plastic boxes of strawberries, kiwis etc at the store. That amount of grain seems a bit over the top for one person, but I do buy organic ground grains from bobsredmill. Sometimes when it is on sale I will buy King Arthur. Adding a few vitamins and minerals, or tea, I usually gets way over the 50 $ limit to get free shipping at Vitacost.
I have not used any commercial cleaners in 15 years, but use vinegar (1/4 deluted with water) and peroxide., spray and let sit for a few minutes then wipe with one of these rags to clean the car with (the ones for household are identical but cost 4 times more) After years of struggling with home made laundry soap I found Roma, a Mexcian washing powder I am not allergic to. Since I use no bleach it does not wash as white as most would like but I do not care. I do not like most perfumes in laundry products for the obvious reason - sneezing.