Collapse currency is a necessary shtf insurance policy we need to invest in for our long-term longevity. With this idea in mind, when we look at the concept of investing and wealth preservation for uncertain times, we want to employ a strategy that will provide as much coverage as possible so that if we are hit out of the blue with something totally unexpected, we’ll at least have the basic necessities to survive.
One of the most popular shtf currencies many have invested in is gold and silver. While these are the currencies of kings, many believe it may not be the only form of currency in a shtf scenario to prepare for. In this type of scenario, you must take into account our everyday lives will have changed. We will longer have access to our modern conveniences: medicine, clean drinking water, food and, in desperate times, we will do what we can to trade or barter for it.
If we are facing an event where there is a capacity of millions of lives killedand take decades to recover from like a nuclear war or an EMP strike, then things like gold and silver may go on the back burner for a while. It’ll still have some value, but when survival consumes your every thought, your priorities tend to change. Valuable commodities like medicine, sugar andsalt, seeds, knives, and tobacco are a few of the sixkinds of currency that will be tradable in a long-term emergency. Another important item to stock up on is alcohol.
SHTF Uses for Alcohol
- Alcohol has long been used in place of antiseptic and can clean wounds, sterilize needles, knives and other instruments.
- This barter item can also be used as fuel for engines (use as fuel on small equipment, generators, etc).
- Alcohol can also be added to medicinal herbs to make tinctures and elixirs.
- Use alcohol as a solvent to use to clean guns, razors and other tools.
- In a dire situation, alcohol can also be given to an injured person as a numbing agent so medicalor dental procedures can be performed.
When all else fails, knowing how to make your own distilled spirits could save your life or provide you with a handsome barter item. Knowing how to make your own alcohol will ensure you have a tradeable item for future currency exchanges.
Alcohol is made with two simple ingredients: sugar and yeast. Yeast should be stored in a cool, dry place. If kept in its original packaging it can last for two years. If stored in the freezer, it can last up to five years. Learn how to make your own yeast for long-term sustainability. Sugar is a forever food item and can last indefinitely.
Steps to Make Your Own Moonshine
- Boil water and add cornmeal. Don’t go beyond a boiling point or you’ll kill the yeast. It should just be warm enough to touch.
- Now that you’ve made the mash, add sugar and yeast. If there are 2 ingredients you need to appreciate, it’s these. These are the very two things in charge of providing that special kick.
- Ferment it for 5 days or until the bubbles stop forming. Now, you have the sour mash. Don’t let the name fool you because this mix is designed to make life sweet!
Heat the sour mash in your pressure cooker and set it at 173 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes the alcohol rise to the surface. - Attach one end of the copper pipe into the pressure cooker vent and dip the other end into a container filled with cold water. Make sure the pipe doesn’t touch your precious mash.
- As the vapors course through the cold copper tubing, the alcohol formed is now what we call the moonshine.
- Filter the drink through the charcoal and remove gunk.
See graphic below for detailed reference:
Keep your alcohol in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight. Keep the bottles upright and do not open them. Once opened, the liquid will evaporate and lose its flavor after six to eight months.
Read more on distilling your spirits here
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This article was originally published at Ready Nutrition™ on March 19th, 2015
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Fred762on March 19, 2015 at 11:11 pm
Add to those SHTF things one should have for barter this little one: ammunition! A stash of .22LR ammo is easily collected today, and still cheap. IMHO it will be 20X more valuable after TEOTWAWKI. Same can be said for other common ammo: 5.56×45, 7.62×51, .38spl,.357mag, 9mm and so on..all available now. The stuff will keep for decades if kept dry and cool..and safe. 😉
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JBrownon March 20, 2015 at 9:02 am
The pipe in the second container (first not including the pressure cooker) should be open or should the pipe be sealed all the way through? I would think it would have to be sealed, but the graphic shows it open.
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Rusty Brown in Canadaon March 26, 2015 at 1:44 am
I don’t think that middle pot should be there at all – looks to me like whoever did the illustration misunderstood the directions. Certainly, as shown, the hooch would condense in the water of that middle pot and be lost.
As someone else has noted – crappy instructions all round.Reply
JBrownon March 26, 2015 at 8:24 am
That is what I figured. I have never even seen a condensor like that and think that the worm would do the job.
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Iainon October 6, 2021 at 12:43 am
The only still I ever used had an enclosed boiling vessel and a condenser pipe in a water bath changed regularly to reduce the temperature.
Rate of distillation is crucial – dribblr the outflow down a toothpick such that a thin column of distillate reaches 4 inches in length before breaking into droplets. The charcoal filter takes out impurities. Putting the product into oak woodchippings makes a passable brandy after a couple of years.Reply
walconon March 20, 2015 at 6:46 pm
Worst broken up, incomplete, confusing instructions I have ever read.
Who wrote this? A child?Reply
Mister Jimmyon March 21, 2015 at 9:57 am
Go to a central location to barter ( such as Bartertown in the Mad Max film series.) Don’t bring people out to where you live. Carry a loaded gun when bartering. Do good faith barters with people who look OK, then wait until everyone is gone from the central location before you leave (so no one can follow you and take what you have or find out where you live.) Kill anyone who comes to steal what you have.
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the oncoming stormon March 24, 2015 at 7:44 pm
one thing that wasn’t touched upon. whatever is illegal now will still be illegal then, after all our freedoms are officially stripped away. just because the economy collapses doesn’t mean it’s gonna be a free for all. there will be no “world without law” because by the time the economy collapses, the us at least will be shifting right into a full blown nazi germany or ussr style police state WITH aid from nato and the un. really, the us is ALREADY a police state. they’re just doing a good job of convincing everyone things are just fine and succeeding in hiding the fact.
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Rusty Brown in Canadaon March 26, 2015 at 1:44 am
Illegal, maybe. But so is driving too fast on the highway.
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the oncoming stormon March 26, 2015 at 2:25 am
okay, so i’ve been sitting here for a few minutes attempting to uncover your point and all i can do is chuckle at your reasoning. are you trying to justify carrying on a potentially illegal activity with your statement? because driving too fast on the highway is illegal EVERYWHERE, other than the autobahn and only because there’s no speed limit. you may as well have replaced that with breaking and entering or some sh*te.
i do have to correct myself though. after looking at the graphic again i did notice fine print at the bottom. so fine in fact, that i had to get real close to the screen to see it which is impressive considering i have a 27 inch monitor. still, endorsing this as a viable solution is irresponsible beyond belief.
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Rusty Brown in Canadaon March 26, 2015 at 10:12 am
“…a 27 inch monitor…”
My, that is a big one!
Not often you see one that big.Reply
the oncoming stormon March 26, 2015 at 11:48 am
aye that’s true. amusingly enough it was a gift from my mam. she ended up buying two for some reason and gave one to me. i totally love it.
JBrownon March 26, 2015 at 10:32 am
Sugar is found in almost all plants and can be extracted.
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T. Williamon May 5, 2020 at 7:20 pm
Apples make great whiskey!
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