Letter: Tip for Oxygen Absorbers

Dear HJL, Here is a tip for those who will use oxygen absorbers for storage but will not use the whole lot. So you have your bulk grains and what not in mylar bags and buckets ready to close off. You bought a package of oxygen absorbers and you will not need all of them this time. What’s to be done? Quickly open the package and place the absorbers in zip lock bags, being careful to flush the oxygen out of each when you close it up. Put just what you need for each bucket in each zip lock. (Snack …


The Bride of Christ in An Apocalyptic World- Part 1, by R.B.

“Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” (Matthew 24:32-35) Understand the Times If you have been paying attention to current events, especially to economic news and news related to asymmetrical military preparedness (i.e., cyber warfare …


Letter Re: Dehydrator Screens

Greetings. I come across a lot of people who are looking for a solution to drying smaller items in their dehydrator. Over the years I have tried various solutions over the years while prepping and doing backpacking meals. The solution I finally came up with was to go to the hardware store and buy a roll of stainless steel screen door mesh. I cut it to the size of my trays. The mesh lets the air flow and the little pieces stay on the tray. – Crazyman o o o Hugh, I bought some pieces of this stainless steel fabric …


Recipe of the Week: Old World Sauerbraten, by G.M.

Ingredients: 3½ to 4 lbs beef rump or sirloin tip 1 cup water 1 cup vinegar 1 large onion, sliced 1 lemon, sliced (unpeeled) 10 whole cloves 4 bay leaves 6 whole peppercorns 2 Tbsp salt 2 Tbsp sugar 12 gingersnaps, crumbled Directions: Place the meat in a deep ceramic or glass bowl. Combine water, vinegar, onion, lemon, cloves, bay leaves, pepper, salt, and sugar; then pour it over the meat. Cover and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours, turning the meat several times during marinating. Place beef in a slow-cooking pot. Pour 1 cup of marinade over the meat. …


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

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

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 …