Year: 2025

Recipe of the Week:

The following two-day recipe for Barley and Pork Hocks is from SurvivalBlog reader Richard T. Equipment: A small cast iron pot, a soup pot, and a rectangular glass cake pan (or a similar pan). Ingredients Two fresh pork hocks ½ cup of  barley grain ½ cup of white vinegar Cayenne or hot pepper flakes (to taste) Pepper (to taste) Salt (to taste) Directions Day one: Simmer a couple of fresh pork hocks in ½” of water in a lidded cast iron pot for half a day until the meat can be separated from the bones. Refrigerate overnight. (The extracted bones …


SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week 

Today’s graphic:  USDA Plant Hardiness Growing Zone Chart. (Graphic courtesy of Oregon State University (OSU) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The thumbnail below is click-expandable.       — Please send your graphics or graphics links 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 — October 26, 2025

Reader D.S.V. wrote to tell me of the passing of actress June Lockhart, at age 100. JWR’s Comment: Not mentioned in the brief obituary is that June Lockhart was a devoted Christian. — On October 26, 1826, the Erie Canal between the Hudson River and Lake Erie opened. — October 26, 1881: A feud between the Earp brothers (Wyatt, Virgil, and Morgan) and an outlaw gang led by Ike Clanton escalated into a celebrated gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona Territory. — Today is the birthday of Henry Deringer (October 26, 1786 – February 28, 1868) was an …


Loaves, Fishes, Tree Bark, Seeds, and Knowledge – Part 7, by The Chemical Engineer

(Continued from Part 6.) 3.7 – Improving Our Soil Before A T2E Those with experience growing crops have learned that the fertility of their soil or the ability to add fertilizer has a large impact on crop yields. The best option to prepare for an emergency is to add fertility now into our soil. It is like keeping our vehicles at least half full of gas, it will be ready to use when we need it. When I first started gardening I skimped on improving my soil and most of my harvests were mediocre. When I spent more money and …


JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: Glock Has Announced Their New V-Series Pistols To Replace Their “Readily Convertible” Original Designs It Would Have Been Less Expensive To Just Send Gavin Newsom A Chest Full Of Austrian Gold Coins Video News Link: Why Is Everyone So Mad About the New Glock V Series Pistol? Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks! Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provided that credit to SurvivalBlog.com …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities. Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are …


Preparedness Notes for Saturday — October 25, 2025

60 years ago today, on October 25, 1965: Bobby Hatfield’s solo performance of “Unchained Melody” on The Andy Williams Show went down in music history as perhaps the greatest live television love song performance by a male vocalist ever recorded. The then-25-year-old Hatfield still sounds amazing today, even though the recording was made with a low-quality microphone. — This is the birthday of explorer and pilot Admiral Richard Byrd (1888–1957). His autobiography titled Alone is a must-read. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 121 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round …


Loaves, Fishes, Tree Bark, Seeds, and Knowledge – Part 6, by The Chemical Engineer

(Continued from Part 5.) 3.4 – Seeds From Stores Stores have seeds in the dry goods aisle, produce section, and on garden seed displays. If it is safe to do so, honestly acquire additional seeds and/or encourage local leaders to protect them for the community’s future use early in a T2E. I don’t believe that evil means can ever produce good ends. The teachings of Jesus Christ clearly don’t give me that option if I honestly want to be His disciple. A crisis is not a time to find exceptions but to find courage, creativity and faith to see who …


Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those — or excerpts thereof — in the Odds …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they …


Preparedness Notes for Friday — October 24, 2025

On October 24, 1836, the earliest American patent was issued for a phosphorus friction match to Alonzo Dwight Phillips of Springfield, Massachusetts — October 24th is the anniversary of the firing squad execution of Norwegian traitor Vidkun Quisling, in 1945. His ignominious place in history was to have his surname become a noun. “Quisling” is now a moniker synonymous with treason and alliance with an invading army. — And on October 24, 1946, a camera on board the V-2 No. 13 rocket launched from White Sands, New Mexico captured the first photograph of Earth from outer space. — SurvivalBlog Writing …


Loaves, Fishes, Tree Bark, Seeds, and Knowledge – Part 5, by The Chemical Engineer

(Continued from Part 4.) 3 – Growing Food When Lives Depend On It In addition to industrial-scale emergency forging, growing food should be started ASAP by the local community after most T2Es.This is the 2nd Tactic. 2nd Tactic: As early as possible in an emergency start a neighborhood/community-wide food growing effort that aims to swiftly create a calorie surplus. The calorie density and volume of garden/farm crops is much higher than most foraged food sources. As mentioned earlier, if we do not have sufficient local water resources don’t try this. We will fail. Crops need lots of water to grow …


Economics & Investing For Preppers

A Special Editor’s Note:  This will be the last regular Economics & Investing For Preppers news column.  Because so many news outlets have put their content behind paywalls, it has become increasingly difficult to assemble this column.  It will be replaced by a new weekly item: Economics & Investing Media of the Week.  That will typically be photos, video links, or the occasional news item. — Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This …