Panic purchase list - sh1t about to hit the fan!

[boisdevie]

I don't think anyone's mentioned water yet. In the event of a major pandemic, utility workers will be off sick just like everyone else;

A simple and effective method of purifying river water is distillation. One way to do this is to connect a pipe to a kettle spout and feed that pipe to a receptacle. As the kettle boils, the steam will travel through the pipe and then condense in the receptacle as distilled water. At which point it will be safe to drink.

As long as your kettle isn't electric as utility workers will be off sick like everyone else.

[PS_RalphW]

Simpler and less energy - filter the water to get the worst gunk out, then boil in the kettle for a couple of minutes and it will be drinkable once it is cooled down, provided it does not contain mineral toxins. We ahve a kelly kettle and plenty of fire wood and a wood stove.

[vtsnowedin]

Watch that you don't build your still too tight and blow up the (room where food is prepared)

[Little John]

Simpler and less energy - filter the water to get the worst gunk out, then boil in the kettle for a couple of minutes and it will be drinkable once it is cooled down, provided it does not contain mineral toxins. We ahve a kelly kettle and plenty of fire wood and a wood stove.

That's the thing though Ralph. Around York, the river Ouse will be full of all sorts of agricultural toxins and so I would be loathe to drink form water the Ouse that was merely boiled. In fact, I would have thought boiling it would concentrate any non organic toxins in the water due to evaporation during heating. i'm not saying boiled water is not a good enough choice in the absence of anything else since it will certainly kill biological pathogens. Just that distillation is far superior because it also takes out inorganic toxins such as metals etc.

[Mean Mr Mustard]

As was mentioned way back - beer is best.

[Little John]

As was mentioned way back - beer is best.

Definitely. A simple way to hold long term quantities of water without needing to worry if it will go bad on you (as long as it is sealed) is to ferment some sugar water. It doesn't need to be high alcohol. I am unsure of the lower limit to maintain the pathogen killing effects of alcohol, But I seem to remember reading it's quite low. Say around 2%.

[emordnilap]

As was mentioned way back - beer is best.

Definitely. A simple way to hold long term quantities of water without needing to worry if it will go bad on you (as long as it is sealed) is to ferment some sugar water. It doesn't need to be high alcohol. I am unsure of the lower limit to maintain the pathogen killing effects of alcohol, But I seem to remember reading it's quite low. Say around 2%.

I like the idea.

There again, beer makes me thirsty, which always makes another beer seem like a good idea.

[snow hope]

Beer is in my stocks and on my list!

[Mean Mr Mustard]

There again, beer makes me thirsty, which always makes another beer seem like a good idea.

It is. Simply avoid operating machinery and chill out. What's not to like, as our US cuzzins would say...

[fuzzy]

I have a lot of coffee filters which will filter water from our garden butts or a river to clearish standard, then bleach or iodine or permanganate [not all three!] to clean it.

For UK people I would not worry too much about Vit C. Get a hedgerow food book. For starters you can eat Ground Elder leaves [good] and Dandelion leaves [rough]. That's plenty of vitamins.

Store lots of tins, tin-openers, matches+tea lights+windproof lanterns,
Chocolate and treats, breakfast cereal, things that need little cooking [cous-cous instead of rice], powdered milk. You could live off tinned sardines, cereal and dandelion leaves for years. People with space can store bog roll, washing powder, soap, shampoo etc.. In the UK it's mainly tins of calories and protein. You can't hunt much in the UK. Buy some bleach tablets and extra liquid bleach as late as possible for shelf life. Surgical masks, nitrile gloves [ebay] and a lot of pocket handwash lets you visit the supermarket next year.

[RenewableCandy]

I can see the point of last-minute bulk buy in these circumstances: if disease is getting hold in the UK but not yet in your county, and the economy is staggering through it, then rushing out and getting a £G's-worth of emergency supplies on credit might be a good move. No-one's going to repo your house if they're scared of catching the disease, you can stick it out at home for a season and only worry about repaying the debt once it's all blown over (in which case getting the money back from you may be the least of your bank's worries!).

Point, about the couscous instead of rice. I think our lot don't like couscous, though.

[emordnilap]

I think our lot don't like couscous, though.

You should try different ones (wholemeal etc).

Zaytoun do a supremely delicious version - nothing like Tesco shite - but of course those fecking Israelis are up to their usual despotic shenanigans. Imagine if Britain told France it was not allowed to export to other countries.

[RenewableCandy]

They'd just ignore us, like they always do with anything remotely resembling rules. Or principles, come to that

Thanks for the tip, mind

[PS_RalphW]

I didn't want to bring up such a mercenary topic on a serious thread, but the price of chocolate is feared to rise on the damage Ebola is doing to the west African cocoa trade.

[emordnilap]

They'd just ignore us, like they always do with anything remotely resembling rules.

If only Palestine could ignore the Zionists...