Month: July 2024

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — July 31, 2024

The first ascent of K2 was made by an Italian expedition led by Ardito Desio on July 31, 1954. — And on July 31, 1958, the Anti-Chinese uprising began in Tibet. — Today’s feature article is a guest piece by fellow blogger Mrs. Alaska. Because it will also be posted to her blog, it will not be part of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. We are now seeking entries for Round 114 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $900,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking …


Two Inexpensive and Easy Food/Pollinator Crops, by Mrs. Alaska

In the past, people who migrated from one country or region to another invariably brought seeds with them. This is prudent. But many times, the plants of one ecosystem cannot grow in another, due to temperature or soil conditions. Imagine the problems (hunger) that ensued. The most valuable seeds at the end of a journey, I imagine, were those that could grow the fastest to some edible stage in a variety of new locations, proliferate, set seeds, and repeat. Here, I would like to sing the praises of two modest plants, wild and domesticated in a broad range of USDA …


SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters. — An astute video essay from The Patriot Nurse: How To Prepare For Civil War. o  o  o How a Perfect Storm Sent Church Insurance Rates Skyrocketing. o  o  o An inspiring essay: The Value of an Aged Human Being. o  o  o



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — July 30, 2024

On July 30, 1419: First defenestration of Prague: anti-Catholic Hussites, followers of executed reformer Jan Hus, stormed Prague town hall and threw the judge, mayor, and several city council members out the windows. They died in the fall or were killed by the crowd outside. — July 30, 1869: The Charles, considered the world’s first “oil tanker”, departs from the United States headed for Europe with a bulk capacity of 7,000 barrels of oil. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 113 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: …


Pandemics: I Hope I’m Wrong, by SaraSue

Ever since the Plandemic hit the scene a few years back, I have been following dissenting medical voices.  I watched while they were silenced and banned for daring to disagree with the “regime” of the pharmaceutical industrial complex partnered with government and so-called “healthcare”.  Some were stripped of their medical licenses, others pushed out of practice, and some sued into oblivion.  It was shocking to me that our formerly “agree to disagree” society had stooped so low as to punish people, quite literally, for having a different opinion.  I had to pinch myself to see if I was in a …


SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies located in the American Redoubt region that are of interest to preppers and survivalists. Today, some coverage of summer wildfires throughout the region Idaho Level 3 (Go Now!) Evacuations issued for Gwen Fire near Juliaetta. JWR’s Comments:  That long sloping valley was where the late Carla Emery lived, back in the 1980s. She was the author of The Encyclopedia of …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — July 29, 2024

On July 29, 1609, Samuel de Champlain shot and killed two Iroquois chiefs at Ticonderoga, New York setting the stage for French-Iroquois conflicts for the next 150 years. — Please say a prayer for Pastor Chuck Balwin. He underwent emergency abdominal surgery about six weeks ago, and he is slowly recovering. — Today’s feature article is a review written by SurvivalBlog staffer Tom Christianson. — We are now seeking entries for Round 114 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $900,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, …


BeaverCraft Glacier Bushcraft Knife, by Thomas Christianson

The Ukrainian-made BeaverCraft Glacier Bushcraft Knife has a razor-sharp, 4.25-inch, full-tang, Scandi-grind blade made of 1066 high carbon steel. The blade is 1.18 inches wide, and 0.13 inches thick at the base. The knife is 10.63 inches overall in length, with an unfinished European walnut handle. It comes with a nice leather dangler-form sheath. Although 1066 steel is not highly corrosion resistant, I did not experience any problems with rust throughout the testing period even though I used the knife under a wide variety of inclement weather conditions. With a price at the time of writing of $45 at beavercrafttools.com, …


Recipe of the Week: Hearty Trail Bread

The following recipe for Hearty Trail Bread is from SurvivalBlog reader Tina B. Ingredients 3 cups bread flour, divided 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 2 (4-1/2 tsp.) envelopes Instant Yeast (such as Fleischmann’s) 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon brown sugar 3/4 cup milk 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup butter OR margarine 1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped 1/2 cup prunes, chopped 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, coarsely chopped 1/4 cup sunflower kernels 1/4 cup coconut Directions Combine 1 cup bread flour, whole wheat flour, undissolved yeast, salt and sugars in a large mixer bowl. Heat milk, water and butter …


SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic shows the rates of home ownership in the United States. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit. Research and graphic by Ehsan Soltani, using U.S. Census data. First published by econovis.net.) The thumbnail image below is click-expandable.         — Please send your graphic ideas to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Any graphics that you send must either be your own creation or uncopyrighted.



Preparedness Notes for Sunday — July 28, 2024

On July 28, 1794, French Revolutionary figure Maximilien Robespierre and 22 other leaders of “the Terror” guillotined to thunderous cheers in Paris. — On July 28, 1932, U.S. Army troops, using tanks, cavalry, and tear gas demolished and burned the shanty town set up near the U.S. Capitol by unemployed Bonus Army protestors. — July 28th is also the anniversary of the outbreak of World War I, in 1914. This war irreparably changed geopolitics and set the stage for both World War II and the Cold War. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 113 of …


The Well-Rounded Prepper, by Cactus Jack

The recent Crowdstrike computer/IT outage got us thinking about a host of things that affect our everyday lives. How do we get cash out of the bank, fuel for our vehicles, food, water, etc. when the power or internet is out? Start pulling on a loose thread and we soon realize that in life everything seems to be connected. There are ‘must have’ items that we always carry with us. Cash, a small amount of US 90% silver coins, firearm(s), knives (as in more than one), water, food, some tools, gloves, hat, and some cordage (rope or heavy twine) In …