Odds ‘n Sods:

Six months ago, one of my consulting clients bought a newly-manufactured Amish-made Blizzard brand propane upright freezer ^[1]. He reports that the freezer (which has 18 cubic foot capacity) works quite reliably, with the temperature always staying within two degrees from where he first set it: 10 degrees, Fahrenheit. (The freezer came with an Accu-Rite wireless digital thermometer ^[2]–something by the way that I recommend for all freezers. You simply leave the “outdoor” sensor-transmitter inside the freezer.) He noted, however, that since the freezer is equipped with two burners, it does consume a substantial amount of propane. These freezers are perfect for off-grid houses, or to prepare your on-grid house for grid-down situations.

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It was interesting to see that Camping Survival has added canned green coffee beans ^[3] to their product line. As discussed at length in SurvivalBlog back in 2006, it is better to store the beans green, and roast them in small batches, as needed.

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Matt Bracken: Night Fighting 101 ^[4]. (Thanks to Jim W. for the link.)

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Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large ^[5]) sent a link to a fascinating article on mammalian instincts on mineral nutrition ^[6]. This might also explain the old-time Southern (and Asian) practice of dirt eating ^[7].

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Chris G. was the first of a dozen readers to send this news item: The survivalist: Roscoe Bartlett prepares for a threatened future ^[8].