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1. Masonry making – Back in 1970’s, the CINVA-RAM unit was sold to make soil cement blocks for construction uses. Non electric, small and portable – could be taken to construction site and build units to avoid shipping.

   Mixing cement and local soil (if compatible), you were able to make building blocks for fences – cisterns – shops – barns – etc. Various inserts allowed thinner tile and even lintel blocks to be constructed. Pretty neat unit. Here is an old link to it.

   http://www.ecohabitar.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/The-CETA-RAM-Block-Press.pdf

   IF and when the world goes sideways, having a few of these as ‘rentals – barter’ would something worth having. De-constructing existing structures and transporting to where you want them will be difficult if not impossible.

2. Good article. My preferred method of fire starting is with Chert/flint and steel with char material (punkwood/cloth). I’ve also have made several tonteldoos and they work well also in fire starting. But If I end up somewhere cold, wet and shivering the Bic is quick!

3. Re: Civil War Surgeries
   Although it would look barbarian, I think in a post-TEOTWAWKI world without all of the high-tech medical devices surgery may resort back to the practices of the 1800’s and early 1900’s.

   I often wonder if today’s surgeons could even perform without all the technology.

   1. The equipment might revert back but the general knowledge of hygiene, sterilization and methods for keeping clean would remain with the general population for at least a generation or two, I should think, which would improve one’s chances of surviving injury, surgery and common diseases as compared to the 1800’s. Even with a loss of a large portion of our medical professionals, most people would be accustomed to washing with soap and water and using alcohol, iodine, peroxide and bleach to disinfect wounds, surfaces, bandages and equipment. That knowledge and those habits alone would put us at least 50 years ahead of the Civil War-era medicine. Plus, considering how many retired military medics are part of the civilian population now, along with EMTs and Paramedics, I hope we will have a higher survival rate than many people are predicting.

4. B, I want to learn more about surviving life in the mid-1800s. If there are any re-enactment groups for that period, what names might I find them under? Or any web sites or other sources for the mid-1800s?

5. I recently read “The Adventures of Bigfoot Wallace: The Texas Ranger and Hunter”, supposedly written by a contemporary, John Duval:

   https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Big-Foot-Wallace-Ranger-Hunter-ebook/dp/B07MQTT6SV/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Bigfoot+Wallace&qid=1563543291&s=digital-text&sr=1-1

   Of particular interest was what the Rangers ate as they roamed the mid 1800’s Central Texas wilds where I now live. They harvested deer and turkey, as well as black bear, which was highly valued for the meat and fat. Other important sources included rhubarb, pecans and wild berries. It was apparent that they ate large quantities of meat whenever available, using smoking and jerking to preserve any excess. Deer hide leather clothing was valued for durability and protection from thorns, brush and rocks. Their armament included multiple black powder pistols (prior to repeating firearms being widely available), a rifle and a large knife. These were very tough and resilient men!

6. Great article. Despite the trappings of modern life things would return to the 1800’s quickly after a grid failure. It’s one of the reasons we have so much overcrowding and pollution.

   We’ve created an artificial environment. Take away modern medicine, transportation , clean water, food and mother nature will put everything back in balance. She still might with a good old fashioned plague or pandemic.

   When that happens having the skills of our forebears will come handy indeed.

   We have “Plymouth Plantation” here and while it is a “living” colonial settlement the rein-actors staying in character can get tedious. Not sure of how in-depth their knowledge is . Most times it’s just someone that has read allot about the subject and has set up a display.

   While the plantation might look authentic not really sure if you could call it a “working” plantation. More tourist attraction than anything else.

   Then again met a gentleman working as a rein-actor at Ft. Ticonderoga. He did a black powder demonstration and was considered to be one of the top authorities on the subject.

   Guess it just depends on the individual. Again enjoyed the article and gives me motivation to seek out these people for some added knowledge

7. There is a fermentation festival held in the fall each year at Reedsburg, WI

8. In regards to parching corn, not all corn varieties parch well. See the excellent book “The Resilient Gardner” where it goes into what varieties work well for parching as well as making flour etc. Hint it’s not the commercial dent varieties that agribusiness sells.

9. It is a common belief that our civilization would drop back to the 1800’s level. I believe that for a long time, we would be back to hunter/gatherers and living off of the remains of our wrecked world. We do not have the infrastructure or the enough people with the skills discussed here.
   Need a plow? Exactly how are you going to make that? Do you have the hardware for the harness? Going to plow with a horse, a mule or oxen? Do you have any of them or know how to handle them?
   The re-enactors are a great way to start. Living history facilities are around the country and are great to see the skills up close. Lots of sources of information if you look into now.

10. B. –

    I agree wholeheartedly with you in re: Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown Settlement, as well as Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts, Cooperstown in NY and even Deerfield Village in Michigan for late 1800’s/early 1900’s. My parents took us to see lots of living history sites when we were young, back in the 1950’s and -60’s, before there were a lot of them around. I am still a huge fan of history and spent 25 years or so participating in Medieval and Rendezvous recreation and re-enactment groups. I learned so much that is now part of my knowledge base for survival and prepping.

    Legend has it that back during the 1970’s or ‘80’s, IIRC, the FBI did a study to see which organizations would be most likely to survive the Zombie Apocalypse or TEOTWAWeKI. The “Survivalists” (think of the militia groups back in the late 1970’s) really didn’t fare too well since they required loaded cartridges, modern gunpowder, canned foods and lots of beer ), the Mountain Man or Rendezvous groups did okay but would end up being dependent upon being able to store and eventually manufacture black powder. The same held true for the Revolutionary War and the Civil War re-enactors, except those groups didn’t study too much in the way of woodscraft, hunting or foraging. They concentrated more on the battlefield and society side of history. The Medievalists came out on top. They were researching and teaching a wide range of what they refer to as the “Arts & Sciences,” they already had educators and “Universities” set up and running on a semi-regular basis, they already had their own governments set up on local, regional (“Kingdom”) and worldwide (“Society”) levels and they were already fielding a standing army larger than most nations in the world, but only used black powder for signaling cannons, not for actual combat, so they were not dependent upon gun powder for much. Combat consisted of heavy armor and weapons (swords, shields, spears), fencing (light armor, foils, epees, sabers, Schlagers), archery (long bows, recurve bows, crossbows, horse bows, fletched wooden arrows), thrown weapons (knives, axes, tomahawks, spears, atl atls) and siege weapons (ballistas, trebuchets, catapults). They had groups organized throughout the US, Canada, Australia, Western Europe and on nearly every US military base in the world and on every US Naval battle group. Pretty impressive when you sit down and write it all out. The organization is still going strong after 50 years. The educational value of the group is outstanding with people who have researched over 1000 years’ worth of arts and sciences from every civilization that was known to Europeans from the fall of Rome to the death of Queen Elizabeth I. That pretty much leaves out the Western Hemisphere, Australia, and the South Pacific Islands but covers the rest of the world. There are people who can teach you how to breed and raise sheep, how to shear them, how to spin the wool into yarn, how to build a loom, how to weave the wool into cloth, how to dye it, how to sew it into clothing, how to make buttons & beads and how to sew embroidery on it. All in all, a very thorough education, and that holds true for nearly every aspect of everyday Medieval life.

    The Rendezvous groups are also full of researchers who can teach you how to survive in the wilderness. They don’t have much of a government or bureaucracy set up but they can be found all over the US and many of them demonstrate skills from the Trapper Era in North America at schools and community centers. Also, their weekend events are often open to the public during the days, letting people who are unfamiliar with the organization come into their encampments and learn about a few decades of American history without having to drive to a tourist destination.

    I recommend that anybody who wants to learn to be self sufficient without electricity look into one of the re-enactment groups and take the kids along. They are family friendly and love passing on their knowledge and skills to anybody who wants to learn. Yes, they are geeky, but in a fun way.

11. A documentary on early European sites had dried split peas as a major foodstuff,the Hanseatic League was built on salted cod both foods rarely used today but could easily replicated. Brick making is great but a familiarity in masonry is needed to use them. The Foxfire books are a education if not near a reenactment. The areas Renaissance fair has a comic show on medieval medicine. Laugh as the crowd chants”the pus flows then you die”,but is informative of how medicine devolved with religious suppression.

12. Very interesting article.
    A note about fermentation… cider was apparently a favorite drink in colonial times, and I’ve read somewhere that there were more varieties of apples in existence at that time, many specifically used for cider that don’t exist anymore. Why apple cider? Probably because European wine grapes would not survive in America at the time due to our particular mix of bugs and diseases and climate. ( Even now that’s a problem.)
    Apple Jack: no doubt fermented beverages would become sought after trade items during a SHTF scenario. However, be aware that while freezing cider concentrates the alcohol content up to a maximum of about 45% (the water freezes, but the alcohol doesn’t) it also concentrates the bad alcohol (methyl) which is usually discarded in the “heads” of a heat distillation method.
    Aside from getting a hangover, the methyl alcohol would be slowly poisoning you.

    For those interested in growing grapes for wine, research “hybrid varietals” ( American/French hybrids) and the Norton grape (or Cynthiana).

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