Recipe of the Week: Is There Any More of That Chicken? by J.M.

This simple, inexpensive meal will leave your guests asking, “Is there any more of that chicken?”. The result is a moist, fall-off-the bone chicken thigh wrapped in a crisp sweet and tangy skin. Note that hormones and antibiotics spoil this recipe, so shop for quality chicken. Ingredients: 6-8 plump chicken thighs 1-2 large cloves of garlic, minced Fresh ground mild chili or black pepper ½ cup olive oil ¼ cup Balsamic or apple cider vinegar ½ cup honey 1-2 tsp Balsamic or apple cider vinegar ½ cup molasses Directions: Preheat oven or covered grill to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place cooling …


Letter Re: Solid Fuel Stoves

Hugh, Our home is located in NW Wyoming, at an elevation of just under 6,000 feet. We have operated both a coal stove (Hitzer Model 30-95 EZ-Flo Hopper Stove) and a wood burner (Blaze King Princess Catalytic Model) for a number of years. The wood stove is on the lowest level of our three-story log home, while the coal stove provides emergency heat for our storage/pantry building. Over the years, we have learned a great many tips and techniques for using solid fuel heaters. The most important step in installing and using one of these stoves is to get the …


Two Letters Re: Proposed Executive Order Designating Certain Rifles for ‘Militia Purposes’

Hugh, The article “Proposed Executive Order Designating Certain Rifles for ‘Militia Purposes’ – G.G” is a big truckload of B.S. We, the people, don’t need an Executive Order. We have a Constitution that reads, “A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” That part of our sacred document does not limit the militia to Made in USA AR-15’s! If you think that we will give up our imported firearms, then you are crazy! It is just another communist utopian gun control …


Prepping the Soul: The Skill of Multiplication, by R.S.

Even a casual glimpse at the headlines will confirm the continued descent of our society into immorality. Violence, illicit drugs, abortion, and the continued assault on the family are not only common place but are being actively sought as acceptable behavior by vast numbers of the public. Politicians are running to their defense, and legislation is following. The decline is steep. It is real, and it will continue. Revelation 1:1 tells us that these, “things must come to pass.” John doesn’t say that it might come to pass or even that it should come to pass but that it must. …


Letter Re: Proposed Executive Order Designating Certain Rifles for ‘Militia Purposes’

Gentlemen, The problem with this proposed executive order is that it refers to members of the “militia” rather than the citizenry. The militia is defined under law as follows: (a)The militia of the United States consists of all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age and, except as provided in section 313 of title 32, under 45 years of age who are, or who have made a declaration of intention to become, citizens of the United States and of female citizens of the United States who are members of the National Guard. (b) The classes of the militia are— …


Preparing for Cyber Warfare- Part 2, by Northwoods Prepper

One advantage that we all now have in addressing a cyber attack is awareness. During heightened tensions with other countries, you will be aware of the potential risk that these devices may pose and utilize your electronic equipment sparingly. Knowledge is power. Defensive measures have two considerations. The first thing to ask is, how should I protect myself. The second is, how should I ensure my equipment and my property is not causing damage to my country or the general population. The best defense is to eliminate dependency. Minimizing or reducing our need for electronic devices is the most practical …


Two Letters Re: Review Of The Jøtul F 50 TL Rangeley

Hello! Regarding FT’s review of the Jotul stove and her concern about dealing with removing and cleaning out the ash pan daily as they advance in age, I can only share my own experience as a youngster in a small southern town in the winter. In keeping with her observations about the merchant trusting her to pay for the stovepipe after installation, might I suggest that in regard to respect for elders, you’re not in California anymore? I recall my parents advising (ordering?) me to go down the road to our elderly neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Ward, every winter day …


Preparing for Cyber Warfare- Part 1, by Northwoods Prepper

As a regular follower of this blog, I, and as I imagine most readers, are very familiar with the results of an EMP. This is one of the most discussed topics in the survivalist blogosphere, for good reason. Electricity brings all of us a much easier life, and to prepare for the loss of such is difficult both physically and mentally, not to mention costly. With my electronic devices, those that I continue to use daily, my preparations lie between letting them become paper weights with the effects of an EMP to properly protecting those that are of value and …


Letter Re: Review Of The Jøtul F 50 TL Rangeley

Hugh, Our primary heat for our home is wood. When I bought our home in 2011, I replaced a used wood stove with a brand new Blaze King model called the King. The company offers the Princess, the Queen, and the King. All three can be regular or catalytic type. Ours is the catalytic version. We will start burning wood in September and burn through mid-April, and we have done this since we installed the stove. We burn only birch wood that has been split and stacked for a minimum of two years aged. I buy a load of logs …


February in Precious Metals, by Everett Millman of Gainesville Coins

Welcome to SurvivalBlog’s Precious Metals Month in Review, where we take a look at “the month that was” in precious metals. Each month, we cover the price action of gold and examine the “what” and “why” behind those numbers. What Did Gold Do in February? The precious metal markets were robust during February, with strong retail and investment demand driving gold and silver to nearly four-month highs. Platinum and palladium continued the rally that has placed them as the #4 and #1 (respectively) best-performing futures contracts year-to-date. Over the last year, palladium prices have rebounded from a five-year low to …


Letter Re: Yeasts and Natural Leaven for TEOTWAWKI

Dear Latimers, Your latest post on leavening bread is certainly of interest. One of the concerns with store-bought yeasts is that they use bromides to kill off the bacteria in the yeast. Unfortunately, this de-natures some of the effects we should have in our breads, and the bromides are thyroid suppressants. Furthermore, guess what? We have thyroid deficiency in endemic proportions! If we will go back to the leaven that the Hebrews have passed down since times immemorial, using methods that have proven themselves over millennia, it seems that we can be sustainable, and have better health. Those bacteria that …


Preparing Out of Necessity, by B.H.

Many articles regarding prepping and “how-to” leave me to wonder how people survive in this world. I’m not judging, as only GOD can; rather, I am perplexed at how they can afford it. You see, many of the skills being taught are just what I had to figure out in order to get by. I learned how to fix machinery myself because if I did not these things would no longer be of use to me. I learned how to buy second hand because I simply cannot afford new. I learned to garden in order in eat; the why in …


Letter Re: Jøtul Woostove

Dear Hugh, We have been using a name-brand (Firefox, a UK brand) woodstove at our home in the Greek Islands for about seven years. We had the baffle at the top of the stove burn through within two years. The manufacturer would not send us a replacement, referring us to a retailer in the UK. They wanted the best part of $100 dollars for the part, plus postage of about the same amount. Instead, I took the broken part to a local metal shop. They fabricated one out of much thicker steel for $20, and it’s still intact; in fact, …


Letter Re: Metal Value of US Coins

Mr. Latimer: There’s a curious development in metal prices. Because of the recent strength in the zinc price and relative weakness in copper and nickel prices, it is the case that $1000 face value of “new” pennies (post-1982) is worth more than $1000 face value in nickel coins. As of today’s prices, the corresponding values are $734.37 for new pennies vs. $715.75 for nickels. I endorse and practice the discipline of saving nickels. There is an excellent track record of them being worth a premium to face value. As it makes sense to keep an ample supply of cash on …


Review Of The Jøtul F 50 TL Rangeley Wood Stove, by S.T.

First let me state up front that I have heated with a wood stove for over 20 years, so I am not a novice and I understand the use of wood stoves. Additionally, as a person who worked for over 30 years in the defense industry, I also understand that there are products that are ill or poorly planned by engineers who never used the product and/or have large egos and refuse to accept any feedback from the end users of a product. Our previous wood stove was a Regency brand, which we located in a single story home. In …