Preparedness Notes for Monday — August 23, 2021

August 23rd is the anniversary of the declaration of the independent state of “Franklin” in Eastern Tennessee by the settlers there in 1784. Unfortunately, the Continental Congress rejected it, so the state of Franklin never became a reality. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 96 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: 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. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can …




Ruger 9mm MAX-9 Pistol, by Pat Cascio

The folks at Ruger don’t introduce a lot of new firearms each year, but when they do release a new model, it is almost always a winner. And as usual with Ruger firearms, they are almost always in demand by the gun-buying public. I think a lot of people were caught off-guard with the release of the new Ruger Max-9, 9mm pistol. But we shouldn’t have been. The trend for the few years has been sub-compact or micro-sized 9mm pistols, especially designed for concealed carry with two-column magazines–providing a lot of ammo. Anyone who knows Ruger handguns  knows that when …




Recipe of the Week: Carl’s Trail Mix

The following recipe for a high-protein nut and trail mix recipe comes to us from SurvivalBlog reader Carl B. Ingredients ½ cup dried blueberries 1 cup dried cranberries ½ cup dried cherries (tart style) ½ cup salted dried sunflower seeds (optional) 2 ½ cups salted mixed nuts (preferably with almonds but without any peanuts–unless you love peanuts.) ½ cup small dried pineapple (chop first to 1/3-inch cubes, if the chunks are too large) 1 cup M&Ms or Reese’s Pieces Carl’s Note: The last ingredient is optional or can be reduced. You may substitute one cup of something else that is sweet …




Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at the return of some ammunition to gun store shelves. (See the Tangibles Investing section.) Precious Metals: All eyes are still on Afghanistan. Mark my words: If you begin hearing the words “American Hostages” coming out of Afghanistan, then you can expect to see precious metals zoom up 10% or …