The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods – a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “HJL”. Today’s focus is on survival food.

Survival Food

Canadian Prepper has a video review of the SolSource parabolic Solar Cooker. If you like cooking with solar energy, you might want to take a look at it. This is not an inexpensive device, but its efficiency is very good. It does need full sunlight in order to cook, but it works well. It is also large and primarily plastic (the reflector), which makes it fairly durable but difficult to transport and store. This is something that you would set up in your backyard rather than transporting when traveling.

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Reader DSV sent in the link to this article on canning potatoes for long term preservation. Step-by-step instructions with photographs are included to make it easy. Note that this is a job for a pressure cooker (not a hot water bath process) as the potatoes are not acidic enough by themselves.

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Speaking of potatoes, reader K.B. sent in this article on potatoes that the ancient Peruvians survived on. The unique varieties have been carefully cultivated so that the original flavors are present. In a way, the Peruvians developed a crude freeze-dried process, which involved squishing the potatoes flat by stepping on them so that they would freeze and dry out quickly in the low temperatures and high altitudes. I do wonder how much of their unique flavor was due to the barefoot processing though.

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Wellness Mama has an article on the health benefits of sardines with eight reasons why you should love them. I’m one of the 73% that can’t stand them and wonder why I read a post about them, but there is no denying the benefits of this tiny fish. The list is impressive, but I’m still not sure I want to try them again. Do you like them?

U.S. Grid Vulnerability

Reader P.S. sent in this article on the Wall Street Journal where computer security researchers claim to have isolated the malicious software that took out the electric grid in Ukraine’s capital last year. The claim is that the U.S. grid is vulnerable to the same sort of attack. The same code could be used to disrupt the U.S. grid.

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Reader S.G. also notes that there is a similar article on MSM that describes these new cyberweapons and the destruction they can cause to the electric grid.

Imigration

It’s worth noting that London police have arrested dozens of people for “hate crimes”, which includes name calling and other things that would be protected free speech here in the states. In the meantime, London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, has stated that the police do not have enough resources to monitor the jihadists returning to the United Kingdom from Syria and Iraq. Let’s see…the average police officer salary is ₤38,000, which means they are spending approximately ₤35 million to monitor what you say about jihadists, but they can’t follow 400 of them. That certainly tells you a whole lot about Sadiq Khan’s priorities.

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Reader B.B. sent in this link showing that border numbers are up 31 percent in one month as the “Catch and Release” process continues. It’s still better than any year under the Obama administration. But the screws need to be tightened more and the “Catch and Release” must stop.

Aging Population

Reader H.L. notes that there is a demographic timebomb just waiting to go off and wreak economic havoc on the U.S. economy. Our population is rapidly aging and this infographic underscores some of the more extreme issues associated with that fact. It’s not just the U.S. economy that will be affected either. By 2050, most major political/economic powers worldwide will be facing the same issue.




18 Comments

  1. Sardines, too funny. I have stored quite a few cans of them for that day we hope never comes. Decided to open one the other day and I’m with you; please God, let it never come to me having to eat these things!

    1. You know, I’m pretty sure that my pickiness would disappear the hungrier I got. Yes, I’m sure there would come a point where I would eat them without complaint. That time isn’t here yet though. Since we live by the mantra “Eat what you store, store what you eat.” they just aren’t part of our preps. There are lots of foods that fit in that category though. That’s one of the reasons why I love my Harvest Right Freeze Dryer!

  2. DSVs article “canning potatoes…” shows them unpeeled in jars, then instructions say to peel them. What am I missing? (Maybe this just “small potatoes”…)

    1. I was taught by my mother & grandmother to always peel potatoes before canning them as the little dips that will become the eye sprouts can harbor unwanted things, mostly dirt & grit, since pressure canning takes care of everything else. But check with your local extention office for more information.

    2. Safe canning guidelines from the canning pros at Ball/Bernardin and some of the university sites say that every scrap of peel must be removed for safety, for the reason MHL mentions. Improperly canned potatoes have caused deadly botulism occurrences. In this case, I would do as the article says, not as it shows!

  3. Love sardines, wasn’t always that way. But after you eat 10-20 cans of them, they grow on you. IMO, the best ones to get are flavored or in olive oil. Hot sauce is the best, I’ll eat those straight out of the can. Other types I like to eat with crackers. Super nutritious, cheap, and easily stored.

  4. My dad introduced me to eating sardines (in their own oil) with soda crackers and, yes, Dave I enjoy them. He could never get me to try Limburger cheese though (the Berlin airlift is where he developed a taste for these). Could never get past the odor…

    On another note my son and I met some Portuguese fishermen while dock fishing in Commiefornia. They had a small grill going and as they would pull sardines from the water they would grill them whole and eat while hot. They are delicious that way but, unlike our Portuguese friends we gut ours first. The flavor is much better than canned but then I may be biased.

  5. ok, that canning potatoes was so wrong on so many levels. a quick look in the ball canning guide pointed out what was so wrong. only use this recipe if your into visiting the doctor after eating mush potatoes

  6. Police numbers in London are one thing Sadiq Khan can’t be blamed for. All police in England and Wales are funded by the central government. As Home Secretary in David Cameron’s government Theresa May cut police numbers by over 18000 which I believe was near 20%. Now perhaps you can see why the voters were reluctant to vote Conservative last week

    1. It’s not the numbers that are disturbing. It’s the propensity of the police to target insignificant issues rather than tracking the immigrants who are the root of the issue. It doesn’t matter how much or how little you spend or even how many police that there are. If your priority is arresting people for insignificant crimes (such as speaking out against immigration) rather than tracking and arresting those that perpetrate the terrorist crimes, there is a problem. That is something that the Mayor Sadiq Khan has power over and can be blamed for.

  7. Any sardine lovers I know have them with at least chopped onions. Kippers I eat out of the can. I mix sardines with pickled onions, turmeric, smoked black pepper, smoked Spanish paprika. Do not use sardines as any thing but an ingredient, not the centerpiece. Avoid any canned seafood not harvested by USA standards. Their appeal is enhanced by zesty flavorings. On crackers, dip, beer.

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