Letter Re: Dehydrating Tray Solution

Hugh, I’ve noticed a couple of letters from people writing in and asking about the problem of smaller veggies falling through the trays with the tier-style hydrators. I wrestled with the same issue in the beginning and started out by using aluminum foil stretched across the racks. That proved to be impractical for long-term usage because each time you moved the rack in or out of the dryer the edges of the foil would catch on the sides and tear, not to mention the trick of getting them into the dryer without everything falling all over the floor. Additionally the …


My Tomato Process- Part 3, by Sarah Latimer

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Freeze Drying Tomato Sauce I am absolutely thrilled with the results from our Harvest Right Freeze Dryer! I can not only dry fruits, vegetables, meats, and herbs, but I can freeze dry meals. With that accomplished, I began to think about sauces. Sometimes a recipe will call for just a tablespoon of tomato paste. Who wants to open a whole home-canned jar or even a store-bought can of tomato paste just to extract one tablespoon? Then, you have to figure out what to do with the rest before it spoils and (I almost can’t tolerate thinking of it) it has …


Letter Re: Low Tech Cooking

Hugh, One of your readers was asking about low tech cooking methods. He should search for Haybox Cooker. Articles will be found at Mother Earth News, Instructables, and elsewhere. It’s a very old method of first bringing food to a boil, then setting in an insulated box, and using fine hay to surround the cooking vessel. I’ve used blankets and towels, and it works wonderfully for soup, stew, making your own yogurt, and even for beans. Also, a sun oven is invaluable for low tech inexpensive cooking. Yes, you can and we did buy an expensive one, but our son …


Justifying Citizen Possession of Firearms, by S.G. in Florida

Most persons recognize the value of the firearm as a hunting and food gathering tool for the rural American. Often, gun control advocates will latch onto this justification for the Second Amendment when proposing various gun restrictions. The firearm tool can find utilitarian employment by an individual in many situations, and this article seeks to list the possible contemplated individual uses for firearms. Note that I am in no way suggesting that these situations exist now, nor am I advocating the employment of firearms in any of these ways. However, thinking ahead and outside of the box will allow us …


Letter Re: I’m Not In The Position To Right Now

Hi Hugh, My wife and I were discussing the most excellent post by D.D. She asked me did I write this. I told her, “No.” The reason she asked is that we have sat during “rest breaks” and discussed these very same items and scenarios in great detail. We have dropped many hints, some very “blunt”, to the people who may come to “our farm”. We raise cows, chickens, geese, ducks, turkeys, and have reserved a small herd of goats that we need to pick up. We grow sweet corn, field corn, field peas, butter beans, squash, potatoes, et cetera. …


I’m Not In The Position To Right Now- Part 3, by D.D.

I/we Will Hunt! You answer, “My brother knows how to hunt!” You’re not in a position to learn or keep your skills up-to-date, but you think he will do it for you. I live in Florida, so let me give you the numbers for my state. There are approximately 20,271,272 people in the state of Florida. If half of one percent of the people in Florida survived a major catastrophe (that’s a death rate of 99.5%), there would be 101,356 people left or 1.5 people per square mile! Doing some research on primitive living, I read that it takes about …


Letter: Russia

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I found this article to be profound. I think it’s valuable to get into the head of potential enemies, as well as to understand how history has shaped their culture and especially their view of outsiders. Over the years, the author, Dimitri Orlov, has had some fascinating, insightful, and useful observations about the ongoing and accelerating collapse of the United States, and I respect his opinion. I also recognize that he might have a positive bias toward Russia, which is understandable, but if this article is biased I don’t think it’s by very much. What most fascinates me with Orlov’s …


I’m Not In The Position To Right Now- Part 2, by D.D.

Food “My brother has a farm! We’ll have plenty of food.” When I hear this I ask, “What kind of farm?”. You can get any kind of answer here. Most people don’t realize that most professional farmers are specialized; they only grow one or a few things. There are farmers that raise only cattle, or corn, or fruit trees, et cetera, sometimes with smaller sets of supplementary crops. Farms that can be lived off of completely, which are very rare, are almost always small and provide for a small number of people. Each crop or type of livestock take special …


Two Letters Re: Dehydrators

Hugh, The article about dehydrating foods was very well written, thanks. Subsequent comments about preventing small foods from falling through the trays prompts me to offer my solution. I use an ordinary American Harvest dehydrator with stacking trays. I line the trays with parchment paper that I have ventilated by punching holes through the paper, using an ordinary hole punch with the paper folded prior to punching, like making paper “snowflakes.” I lightly oil the paper with coconut oil, and find I can reuse them many times before they need to be replaced. Thanks for all the very informative articles. …


Notes for Wednesday – August 24, 2016

On August 24th, 410, Rome was overrun by the Visigoths in an event that symbolized the fall of the Western Roman Empire. This is a moment in history that we would do well to remember. An empire that ruled the world was corrupted from the inside to the point that they could not defend themselves from a much weaker enemy. This could conceivably be the beginning of the dark middle ages. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 66 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: …


I’m Not In The Position To Right Now- Part 1, by D.D.

Bring up disaster preparedness and you’ll get a variety of reactions, everything from concern to amusement. Awhile after you start this discussion you’ll usually receive a comment like “I’m coming to your house.” This last declaration being an entirely different issue in and of itself, it’s a statement to the effect of “I don’t have to do anything because you’re doing it all for me. I will continue on my merry life while you make the sacrifices necessary to save me if anything goes wrong. You save, you train, and you go without. We’re friends, and I’m special.” Here are …


Guest Article: SHTF Intelligence – Getting Started- Part Three, by Samuel Culper

This is the third article in a series about using intelligence for preparedness. I’m starting from square zero in order to introduce a new crop of Americans to the concept of using intelligence, to prove that there’s a need for intelligence and to get readers quickly up to speed on how to incorporate it into their security planning. For a better foundation, be sure to read Part One and Part Two and check out the Ultimate ACE Startup Guide, too. Brief Recap In the first article, we established that prepared communities need intelligence because they’re going to have blind spots …


Letter Re: Dehydrating Foods

Hugh, In regards to what to use to keep your small foods from falling through the cracks of the screens, I have an answer that may or may not be safe, but I’ve have years of good luck. I put tin foil on the screen, then put a spritz of Pam cooking spray, then use a bit of paper towel to make sure the foil gets covered. I don’t spray the foil completely because I don’t care for the oily texture that remains after dehydration. When I use foil, I only use every other tray giving my machine ample air …


Recipe of the Week: Fondue Italiano

Ingredients: 1 lb lean ground beef 1 envelope spaghetti sauce mix 2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce 1 lb sharp cheddar cheese, shredded 8 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded 2 tbs cornstarch ½ cup dry red wine Directions: In a skillet or slow-cooking pot with browning unit, cook beef until crumbly; pour off excess fat. In a slow-cooking pot, combine beef with dry spaghetti sauce mix, tomato sauce, cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours. Dissolve cornstarch in the wine. Turn the control to high and add dissolved cornstarch. Heat on high for 10 to 15 …


Letter Re: Development and Maintenance of the First Weapon

Hugh, I appreciate B.C.’s points related to the majority of our population being poorly prepared physically to deal with increased levels of stress. As a physical therapist and athletic trainer for 24-plus years, I see it every day. I do want to make one observation and warning, for lack of a better term. There is a huge difference in “normal tissue” and “pathologic tissue”, or tissue that has gone through a process that is called secondary healing. Secondary healing is when there has been enough damage to a muscle, or ligament, or skin, or joint surface, (pick your tissue type), …