The Texas Church Shooting Aftermath, by Sophie in Texas

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Being from a small town (population 450) outside of San Antonio, Texas and one who regularly attends Sunday services at an evangelical church, it was devastating news to hear of the evil inflicted on the Sutherland Springs congregation. Our hearts and prayers went out to the families that suffer and to the community that lost so many souls. Churches Formulate a Response In the aftermath of such pain, many churches and Texans began to formulate a direct response to the evil that occurred. You may know about the 26 churchgoers killed and another 20 wounded, but my story is how …


Potatoes—A Staple for Food Storage With No Refrigeration, by Back Yard Gardner

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Growing and storing potatoes in the Northwest through the winter months always brought unsatisfactory long-term storage results. It didn’t matter how I stored the potatoes after digging, whether in dry sawdust, under a layer of newspaper, on a dark cool dry shelf, all had similar results of shriveling and sprouting potatoes before the stored crop was used up. An Experiment For Stored, “Fresh” Potatoes I tried an experiment with the 2016 potato crop. Once I dug the Kennebec potatoes in April of 2017, the results of wonderful plump potatoes spurred me to store the 2017 potatoes crop the same way. …


Letter: Weather Station Recommendation

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HJL, Do y’all have any recommendations on home weather stations? On searching I found a lot of references to using HAM and FM to get NOAA data but nothing for on site weather stations. Is this viewed as a valuable addition to the retreat or just a toy? – M.P. HJL’s Comment: With the advent of solid state sensors weather stations have become commodity items. Sadly, all the affordable ones that I know of are made in China. If the desire is just to have some basic data, any of those that you see on Amazon will work. You might …


Our Family’s Garden Grain Experiment- Part 2, by Wild BillB of OR

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Our family did an experiment to see how we could grow wheat and oats in a garden setting. In part 1 of this article series, we shared that we used two different garden plots, one that was well fertilized and one that had never been fertilized or used for a garden. Additionally, I told about our seeds and how we protected our growing areas from animals. We began describing the tools that we tested to harvest wheat and how we found, for us, that the sickle worked best. Also, because the naked oats we grew dropped seed more readily, we …


Letter Re: EMP Computer Question

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Guys, What laptop would you recommend for storing in an EMP proof environment, to be used after an event to retrieve electronic files such as Survivalblog/Mother Earth News archives? There are so many options, and choosing the wrong one could be frustrating to say the least. I have hard copies of some essential books, but there are just too many helpful things in electronic format to ignore if it would be possible to retrieve. Thanks for all you do! – P.H. HJL Replies: If the device is to be stored in an EMP resistant container, there are no special considerations …


Our Family’s Garden Grain Experiment- Part 1, by Wild BillB of OR

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This is an account of our family’s experience and learning while experimenting with growing oats and wheat in a garden setting. Storing food and preps are important; but, for us, the primary role of food storage is for the immediate emergency or to get us through the first year of a serious crisis. What then? No one can store sufficient food for a serious, long-term disaster. The Key Is Growing and Gathering Your Own The key is growing and gathering your own, and our favorite staples to grow are potatoes and corn. Living on the “wet” side of Oregon we …


A Lesson in Preparedness Satirical Humor in Very Poor Taste, by Old Bobbert

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In the beginning of creating this piece, my thoughts were somewhat messy in that I wanted to relate through humor some of the unhappy moments experienced while talking about preparedness with the “unprepared” over the course of more than 20 years. There is a special emphasis on the Y2K event. Informed Risks of Y2K Computer-Generated Collapse My oldest son and our son-in-law were then, and even now are, very well informed concerning AI and computers. Their advice was simple and was based on their personal experiences. They said that the industry had been quietly working for years and spent billions …


Recipe of the Week: Homestead Ham Loaf, by R.S.

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Ingredients: 1 lb ground cooked ham (about 3 cups) 1/2 lb lean bulk sausage 1 cup dry bread crumbs 1 Tbsp prepared mustard 1 egg beaten 1 tsp grated onion 1/2 cup milk Sauce Ingredients: 1/4 cup brown sauce 1/2 tsp dry mustard 2 Tbsp orange juice Directions: In a mixing bowl, combine ham, sausage, bread crumbs, mustard, egg, onion, and milk. Form into round loaf about 6 inches in diameter, or rectangle, or oval about 9×5 inches. Place in a Crock Pot, cover and cook on low for about 7 hours. Combine ingredients for sauce and brush over loaf …


After The SHTF, What Will Be Your Role?, by B.H.

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After the SHTF, will you contribute to rebuilding or just surviving? Let’s first assume you and yours have survived and are relatively safe on a homestead with enough water, fuel, food and shelter during the major event. Think Puerto Rico! You’ve gone months, not days and not weeks, without electricity. Also consider you are in a rural location. Government agencies will direct all and any major resources to heavy populated areas once the “event” is over. I view this time after as the most challenging. Most books on surviving the event suggest being self sufficient and living in a rural …


Letter: Preparing for SHTF

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JWR, How do I prepare for a SHTF event I see ahead but also deal with being unemployed due to serious illness the last four years? My wife works, but the money gets eaten up by just getting by, and we own no property. Hence, we have no ability to get ahead. Any ideas, please? I find that so frustrating and maddening. I don’t know how to tackle this. Surely others are in the same boat as me. – S.A. JWR’s Comment: Right. You aren’t the only one in that sort of situation. I think the best bet would be …


A Stitch in Time- Part 2, by a Florida Mom

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Recycle and Redesign! Fabric With the cost of fabric today, few women continue to sew clothing. Sewing has become more of a craft hobby. With this cost in mind, it pays to look for other options for fabric. Yard sales, consignment shops, and thrift stores provide an additional source, either fabric pieces or larger size clothing in good condition. If you shop at a fabric store, make sure you look for sales and use coupons. Repaired or Restyled Man’s Button Front Shirt A man’s button front shirt can be recycled by adding a new collar and cuffs from similar or …


A Stitch in Time- Part 1, by a Florida Mom

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On a practical note, are you including a basic sewing repair kit in your preparations? Whether you’re aiming towards self-sufficiency or a large scale disaster, there are some basic tools that you need to keep on hand. I’m talking about more than a few pre-threaded needles, a button, and two safety pins! I keep a basic sewing repair kit with the above items in my emergency bag, but my supplies at home provide a multi-purpose repair kit, as well as supplying what will be needed to make and repair clothing and pack items. Are you ready to repair, reuse, recycle, …


Letter: EMP Proofing a 1988 F250 Diesel

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JWR, In the book “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It” a device for $20 is mentioned. Where can I get it? – H.P. JWR’s Comment: Go to your local Ford dealership’s parts department. Ask them for a spare “glow plug controller” for your truck (model and year.). If they have one on hand, ask them to see it. If they ask an exorbitant price, then look for the same part at you local car and truck wrecking yard.


Top Six Common Questions Concerning An EMP, by Old Bobbert

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Maybe you, like many, have questions about an EMP. As a friendly, and hopefully a pleasing feature, this article is being edited as it is being typed so as to be read as though it were a friendly two-person, social conversation. The Sit-Rep Situation That Initiated Research The sit-rep situation would necessarily be two good friends talking about a recent article concerned about a potential EMP situation caused by a strong ego-driven leader of a small Asian nation with an attitude and an ego to match. We will call our two friends Bob and Ray. Actually Bob (Old Bobbert ), …