Letter Re: Canning Jar Questions

Good evening, Hugh, Your wife has posted a couple of articles indicating your family uses an industrial vacuum pump for vacuum sealing canning jars; do you have any recommendations on vacuum pumps for this task? How many inches of mercury do you regularly pull on canning jars? I’ve seen a couple of videos on Food Savers indicating they pull about 18 inches, but I suspect 20-21 inches should be more than adequate. She also mentioned you made wood crates for storing and transporting canning jars. I’m getting ready to start making some; any suggestions? What dimensions do you use for …


Recipe of the Week: For Tomato Aholics, by S.T.

Yes, I admit my family are Tomato Aholics. We love tomato sauce and whole canned tomatoes. Our most favorite meals are made with tomato sauce. This should take four hours of time and produce a minimum of eight different meals. Depending on the amount of sauce you make, it will produce from 8 to 16 meals in just approximately four hours of time. When we had children at home, every Saturday while the kids were at soccer, I would cook for the week and make meals that could be frozen and then placed in the oven for dinner each night. …


Letter Re: Propane As An Energy Source

A very interesting and informative article, but I’d like to add a couple things. Some 500 gallon propane tanks are fitted with what’s known as a “wet leg”. It is another valve situated on the top of the tank, in addition to the main valve. It’s plumbed to a pipe running to the bottom of the tank, with its purpose being refilling smaller tanks, like 20 lb portables. It requires a specially fitted hose, the shorter and larger diameter the better; 10 feet works well in 3/4” diameter. I mention a short length as disconnecting the hose from the bottle …


Two Letters Re: Major Mistakes With a Building Contractor

Gentlemen, I wholeheartedly second Pete’s comments in his letter regarding BM’s Major Mistake. In addition to the excellent suggestions Pete made, I would encourage BM to talk to whatever consumer protection agency operates in that area, as well as whoever licenses contractors. Both of them should be willing and able to help him and let BM know if this guy is a frequent flyer with them. If I lost 100k, I’d be out for blood, but I’d settle for getting as much of money back from this clown as possible. – Spotlight o o o Hugh, In Oregon there is …


Propane As An Energy Source- Part 2, by JB

Storage Tanks and Transfer of Propane (continued) Once the tank is full, the fill hose ball valve is closed (stopping flow into the tank), the tank bleeder is closed (if used), the pump is shut off, and then the tank valve closed, in that order. Double check that the hose and tank valves are closed. The small unloader valve between the hose ball valve and tank is opened to drain the liquid trapped between the two, so the hose adapter can be safely disconnected from the tank. Failing to bleed the liquid trapped between the tank and ball valve can …


Letter Re: Major Mistakes with a Building Contractor

Hugh,I would encourage B.M. to sue the contractor even if the contractor has nothing to his name right now. There is a statute of limitations and after the specified time elapses without filing a suit, B.M. is guaranteed to never collect a dime. Sue and get a judgment and then covertly monitor the guy every year or two for indications that he might have improved financially. Very few peoples’ financial situations remain the same forever and most improve to one degree or another. You never know what could happen. State laws vary widely so it is impossible for me to …


Propane as an Energy Source- Part 1, by JB

Propane, or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), is an excellent energy source for several reasons. It stores easily and has a great shelf life. It’s portable and can be adapted for use in internal combustion engines. It can also be used as a refrigerant, and in some situations a viable weapon. Long after the grid goes kaput and gasoline has turned to varnish, propane will still be usable. Basics of Propane There are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of full grill bottles stacked in exchange racks throughout the country. In addition, there’s a multitude of medium and high volume tanks …


Letter Re: Major Mistakes with a Building Contractor

Hugh, Regarding the Major Mistake, B.M. needs to track that guy down and serve him a subpoena. Take him to court. People have tried to rip me off several times for tons less than that. I told them all if they don’t finish the job, pay their bill, or do it correctly, I will take them to court. Each time I wasn’t being overly picky or unreasonable. In each instance, the other party knew I was right. I was patient with all of them. I am sure those people have ripped other people off successfully before. I even emailed / …


Leatherworking for the Beginner, by R.S.

Leather has been used for millennia as a durable resource for clothing, shelter, armor, and more. If you pay attention, there is an abundance of leather all around you. It’s on furniture and baseball fields, in cars, and on garment racks. If you found yourself in a post-collapse situation, leather is a readily available scavenge resource. If you know how to work with it and have a few simple tools and supplies, you have the solution to countless problems. Later I’ll explain some basics. My journey with leather began a few years ago. I was attending a homeschool conference and …


Letter: Major Mistakes with a Building Contractor

Hi,I purchased 150 acres in my chosen location and intended to have a cabin built on it with a well and septic system. I found a contractor who said he would complete a well, septic, and “dried in cabin” for me. He was making good progress and completed about 60% of the work and then just stopped working on it. He has been at it for over four years, and the wood framing is getting very old. Anyway, this was the first time I’ve ever hired a contractor to build something for me, and like a moron I gave him …


Four Procedures For Survival in Your Camp, by ARD

We recently saw how important it is to uphold 2 Chronicles 7:14. Although we have known that this beloved United States that we call home is not quite so “united”, we have discovered there are more Christians than there are non-Christians. (If God be for us who can be against us!) For some time, the liberals have used the media to be their trumpet or voice, which has made it appear that they are the majority. But I tell you this; I believe that what has occurred recently, with the election of Donald Trump, is that the normal quiet Christian …


Letter Re: Thriving With Airedales

Folks, It appears that the War Dog leashes I purchased may be available again. In looking up the company (T3gear.com) they are now carrying a leash that appears to be similar to, if not the same as, the ones I bought when I knew the people running the company. Link supplied merely to assist. I cannot vouch for this particular product; the leashes I have are amazing, and these look nearly identical. I have no connection to this company – “Food Guy”


Thriving With Airedales, by Food Guy and Treat Girl

The article “Surviving An Airedale” was a good start. The writer has begun a journey we started almost seven years ago, and the advice on raising a puppy is pretty good; we’d not argue with it. Crate training is very important, as is all training for these strong-willed and very bright dogs. We bought our Airedales in part due to JWR’s recommendation. The breed being hypo-allergenic was also a major consideration. The dogs are an ideal compromise in size for a couple whose childhood dogs were Great Danes and miniature Poodles, respectively. We considered standard Poodles as well, but the …


Letter Re: Jumper Cable Gauge

Hugh, The Prep Your Ride recommends 4-Gauge jumper cables, but I say 2 Gauge is the minimum, and the lower the better. The power is Current Squared over Resistance, so your 800 Amps / 14 V at your end might end up under 6V, under 300A at the car you are trying to jump. It is going over 10-20 feet so even what seems a trivial resistance causes lots of power loss even if the cables don’t heat up. At least a half dozen times, with one car racing the engine and the other failing to turn over, I swapped …


Recipe of the Week: Chinese Pepper Steak, by G.C.

Ingredients: 1 to 1 1/2 lbs round steak 2 Tbsp oil 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1/4 cup soy sauce 1 tsp sugar 1 cup fresh or canned bean sprouts, drained 1 cup canned tomatoes, cut up 2 green peppers, seeded and cut into strips 1 Tbsp cold water 4 green onions, sliced Directions: Slice steak into narrow strips. In skillet or slow-cooking pot with a browning unit, brown steak in oil. Combine with garlic, salte, pepper, soy sauce, and sugar in slow cooking pot. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours. Turn control to …