(Or, in other words, do you know what people used for “shortening” before Procter & Gamble started producing Crisco in 1911?)
Answer below cut:
The answer is lard. Rendered animal fat. Sometimes, beef tallow or chicken schmaltz (for a kosher alternative), but for almost all of America before 1911, it was lard. And, of course, it’s what the Amish still use. For that matter, it’s what I generally use.
Emergency Light, Fire Starter and Signalling from Crayons, Crisco and Other Household and Wilderness Items:
Unused Crayons will come in handy in the dark and cold. A full-length crayon will stay lit for about 30 minutes as a candle when positioned vertically. As a fire-starter, break a crayon into small pieces (save the unused pieces for later), place a piece in the tinder bundle and light it to get the fire started. Naturally, crayons can also be used for writing and to mark things, like hiking trails.
Press a natural fiber wick (like a cotton t-shirt shred or a mop strand) using a forked stick to the bottom of a can of Crisco (or any kind of vegetable shortening).
Remove the stick after pushing in the wick.
Smear the top of the wick with Crisco to get it to burn better.
Place the can on a non-combustible surface.
There; you have one of the longest burning emergency candles on the planet. It's been said that these can burn for more than 30 days straight!
YUMMY!
CAUTION: Consideration must be given to the foil-lined cardboard tube container as a fire hazard. If left to burn long enough, the melted oil of the shortening can make it's way into the cardboard paper, making it perfect fuel for fire. Consider transferring the shortening into a metal can or glass container (with a lid) to make the candle before lighting it.
As a fire-starter, smear some Crisco on a small piece of wood and place it in the tinder bundle and light it to get the fire started.
Candles from Household items: With a bit of wick and items like crayons, shortening/lard, butter, vaseline, olive oil, orange peel, chapstick or any items that contain oils, alcohol, kerosene, tallow, pine [tree] sap or paraffin, you can make an emergency candle or lantern. Learning to improvise in any situation, with what is readily available, is the mark of a true survivalist. Use your imagination; it could save a life.
Candles From Natural Materials: From a wilderness practicality perspective, we can see it is a great skill to learn to make wilderness candles.
Fat/Tallow - Gathered from animals, they have a very distinct odor and smokiness. Dip wick in the fat multiple times to increase the candle girth.
Plant Oils give off more light with less smoke than fat. Wick the oil from a container.
Birch Tree Bark should come from a fallen or dead specimen and wrapped tightly onto itself, and lit only on one end , to extend burn time.
Pine Resin can be found at damaged areas on the exterior of the tree. Mel the resin and coat small dead twigs as wicks.
Beeswax (from honeycomb) is done by slow boiling the comb in a cloth with occasional squeezing to extract the wax. Remove the heat and cloth with the residue. The remaining liquid will separate and the wax will float on top. After the wax solidifies, pour out the liquid at the bottom. The wax is useable but repeat the boiling process if you want to make it cleaner. Melt the wax to pour into a container or molds. Add wicks before it solidifies unless you want to use the wax for other purposes.
Related Topics:
Waxes for Candles & Stuff
CAUTION: Candles, in general, have a bad reputation of causing house fires. Makeshift improvised candles are even more dangerous. There are much better options (a battery powered lantern is preferable). However, if you find yourself in a cabin in the woods in the middle of the night with no electricity and the batteries in your flashlight are about to die, then something like this will work. But they come with a high flammable risk, so be careful. Use only as a last resort, burn only on a non-combustible surface and keep close watch on any makeshift candle.
[Reference Link]
Related Resources:
Candle from Shortening
Candles from Household Items
Water Jug Lantern
Extend the Life of a Candle Using Aluminum Foil Wrap
Battery-Less Devices
Emergency Lighting Products
[14-Point Emergency Preps Checklist]
[11-Cs Basic Emergency Kit]
[Learn to be More Self-Sufficient]
[The Ultimate Preparation]
[5six7 Menu]
Lightened-up vanilla cupcakes are filled with sugar-free pudding mix, topped with light whipped cream, and given a pretty red and blue star decoration made of fresh blueberries and strawberries for a patriotic dessert that's served cold.
Oh crust! I though it said . . . something else. You know Esther, everyone suspects she's a little, you know, I mean with flannel shirts and . . . stuff. Oh I shouldn't be so judgy.
Lightened-up vanilla cupcakes are filled with sugar-free pudding mix, topped with light whipped cream, and given a pretty red and blue star decoration made of fresh blueberries and strawberries for a patriotic dessert that's served cold.
A fresh alternative to the prepackaged mixes that cost so much money. This recipe for chocolate chip raisin cookies makes 8 batches of cookies with approximately 9 per batch.
A fresh alternative to the prepackaged mixes that cost so much money. This recipe for chocolate chip raisin cookies makes 8 batches of cookies with approximately 9 per batch.