Preparedness Notes for Sunday — February 14, 2021

February 14, 1942 was the birthday of Prepper/Economist Dr. Gary North.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 93 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (a $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum-sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  5. An assortment of products along with a one-hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  4. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Round 93 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.




10 Comments

  1. I need help from my SBlog sisters and brothers.

    I am going through my to storage preps and dug out a case each of Red Feather processed chees and butter from Australia. Cheese can code M 28708 15:11 K. It has been stored in a controlled environment. I opened one can and it tasted OK. Any warnings, comments or suggestions?

    I searched the internet for the canned code information but haven’t been able to decipher it yet.

    Next I’m on to the Red Feather butter.

    Thanks in advance for any help.

    1. Some companies use a code like this. First three numbers are the day it was packed in a 365 day calendar. The last two are the year. So best guess is October 13th, 2008.

      The following is the Shelf life information on Red Feather Butters web site.

      “There is no Expiration Date written in stone, because the shelf life depends largely on the storage conditions (temperature, humidity, altitude, sunlight/shade, etc.). We do guarantee the shelf life for two years however, the actual shelf life of the butter will ultimately be determined by the storage conditions (temperature being the main factor) and the seal on the can remaining intact and therefore protecting the butter from the introduction of oxygen. After this, one can expect some nutritional value loss, although it will be edible, provide fat and calories in an emergency, and still be perfectly safe to eat if the cans remain sealed.

    2. I’ve eaten lots of 7 to 10 year old can food. If the can does not look deformed and is not dented, or rusty, and does not release pressure when opened, and smells and tastes good, then I eat it. Acid foods, like tomato sauces, pickled beets, are likely to be bad unless stored in glass containers.

      1. Factory-canned pineapple…

        …was a total bust for me.

        My seams blew, my bottoms corroded through, my every cubic hectares had pin-holes.
        My juices drenched downstream canned food and kitchen toys, and got my pantry floor all icky.

        I was right on the verge of starting to feel unloved.

        1. Pineapple is the worst. Also, do not get the cans with the pull top lids. If buying store bought spaghetti sauce, pay the extra and get the brand that sells it in glass jars. Those will last at least 7 years and still tastes good. The spaghetti sauce in glass jars will even last multiple years and cycles of hard freezes and thaws from to -30F.
          Home canning, or pickling will last indefinitely if using the plastic lids from Harvest Guard. I water bath can my pickled eggs for extra insurance that they will store indefinitely. My chickens produce 2 dozen per day BTW. That is a lot of eggs if they do not sell…Vinegar freezes so I may run out of storage space. Also canned meats that where canned in their own juices and have extra salt in them will survive hard freezes in wide mouth pint jars. The salty brine can be rinsed off the meat if you do not like excessive amounts of salt in your stew. When you run out of storage space, test samples of your canned meats at below zero temperatures. We would hate to loose precious meats, but if there is not room to store additional, then it could be worth the risk, and the risk is removed if testing is done, and now we can store up more precious protein. This kind of testing and storage would allow one to cashe certain home canned foods.

  2. Warmest Tent on Earth – Pitching in the Siberian Arctic Winter
    (YouTube Video, 32:13)
    Nomad Architecture
    Feb 10, 2021
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gI6q4R8ih4

    “The Nenet reindeer herders need to move their tent every few days throughout most of the year. Every time they migrate they must pack the whole tent away, drag it across the tundra on sledges, and erect it again in a fresh place, sometime in temperatures of minus thirty degrees. Survival depends on working together as a team.”

    Family team work…

    Internal tent for sleeping at night.

    Tent stove and pipe.

    1. Hey Tunnel Rabbit!
      Will check out this video for sure. I wonder about this as well, and find the possibility (even the likelihood) of this worrisome for everyone invested in electronic/digital currency. I’ll look forward to the thoughts and insights presented here. Thank you!

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