Tips and Tricks: Cooking Food in the Apocalypse

Now, in an apocalypse you’re not going to have tons of food items. It’s not like you’re going to be able to walk to the store and grab what you require. Your options are going to be very limited. Plus, no electricity. I can already imagine the panic.

So what can you do? Well, go back to basics. You’ll have to cook over a fire. Because let’s face it, not everyone is going to have a solar fed cooking unit or portable generator. Plus are you going to be able to lug around a generator on the run from the zombies or have the time to wait for your meal to cook in a solar powered stove?

Probably not.

Although, you probably wouldn’t want to carry around a pan either BUT at least it can double as a weapon. Just bash that zombie that is after you in the skull.  But, I digress.

A pot to cook your meal is going to be one of the items you’ll want to bring with on your trek to find safety. Then you’re going to want to create something for your pot to sit on that will keep it above your flame. On this site, you can create a wire stand. (Bonus, you can always use the wire as another weapon.) You’ll also need to wrap something around it like tinfoil to create a windscreen. I’m not a huge fan of this model.

I really like the first one in the post that has a tin can with punctured holes along the top that you can sit the pot on. For my characters especially, this would work a lot better (especially since they don’t have access to all the material of the other method).

Or you can create a pyramid to hold a dutch oven over an open fire. To find out advantages of cooking in cast iron, read the article here. Do you camp? How do you cook your food? What tips do you have for eating during an apocalypse?

Apocalypse-ready Condos

Looking for a place to hole up when the zombie apocalypse hits? You’ll have to find somewhere else, because the zombie-proof condos in Kansas (made out of converted a nuclear ballistic missile silo) are now all sold out.

According to Survival Condo, some of the key features of these condos (you can either buy a half a floor for up to 5 people for $1,000,000 or a full floor for up to 10 people for $2,000,000) include:

A Solar Flare Apocalypse

Do you write post-apocalyptic stories? There has been a rise in the popularity of books with the end of the world theme, of the remaining humans having to work together for a common goal of survival. Sometimes, the end of the world happens because of a plague. Other times because of zombies. Or war. Or alien contact.

Aside from disease, one of the most realistic causes of an apocalypse has to do with mother nature–i.e. solar storms. Last week, we were warned about the impact of a solar storm that was headed toward us. It was supposed to be the biggest one we’ve had in five years. On a scale of G1 to G5 (with G5 being the worst), it was supposed to be a G3.

While solar storms are a natural occurrence, there has been an increase in them as part of the sun’s 11-year solar cycle, happening when activity on the sun ramps up. While solar flares can be beautiful (just look at the gorgeous northern lights), they can also have an effect on the earth in ways we can’t see. Massive electromagnetic explosions can trigger power blackouts (a 12-hour power outage across Quebec in 1989 was caused by a solar storm), interfere with flights and GPS systems; and ultimately affect weather, and even the visual spectrum.

A couple of hours of a power outage and we hear about riots happening as people freak out. Just imagine how it’d be if the electronics, all over the earth were knocked out. Think of it. No phones. No computers. Nothing. (Yes, technically it probably wouldn’t affect electronics on the ground, BUT, in a doomsday scenario, if we had no protection against the flares at all, it could happen.) Everything we depend on in society to survive would be gone. Aside from the concern about radiation, we wouldn’t have many of the medical interventions we need. And food, we’d have to go back to basics. After awhile, as we run out of gas, travel will be difficult.

It wouldn’t be all that hard to imagine. Not only is it realistic, we’re not through with solar flares. It’s said that they are only going to increase and will peak in late 2013.

What do you think? Would you be ready if we lost all of our modern conveniences?