Letter Re: Thoughts on Long Term Storage Foods

James Wesley; I have been following your blog for a little over a year and have always been one to stockpile items that I know we will use, having lived nearly all of my life (less four years of college and two years of my working life) in a rural location. You simply buy things in bulk, so you don’t need to run into town to get that one thing. Growing up Mom always kept a full pantry (and still does though the kids are all grown and married and live elsewhere), a root cellar, etc. We have continued that …


Letter Re: As Simple as Changing a Tire

Jim: I read with interest and nostalgia the post about flats. I grew up in an area of poorly maintained gravel roads,and hauling scrap metal for extra cash. Flats were a fact of life. Those days aren’t so far behind me as I recently learned. But thanks to the school of hard knocks I was prepared. So here’s a tip from a pro, carry a tire plugging kit plugging kit in your vehicle. Usually you will notice a tire going down long before it’s flat, and you can often plug it on the vehicle. Contrary to what most tire shops …


Letter Re: The .357 Magnum: An All-Around Survival Cartridge

Mr. Rawles, I have been reading your blog for a couple of years now and it is something I look forward to every day. I have even persuaded my wife to open her mind and start preparing as a result of many of the articles on SurvivalBlog.   Regarding the article on the .357 Magnum, I agree with most of what the writer had to say regarding the performance of the round. But there are a couple of  points I feel compelled to make.   1) To take advantage of the ballistics he refers to in comparison to other cartridges (specifically, I …


Letter Re: Limitations of Square Foot Gardening

Jim: I too had a problem getting vermiculite here in Houston.  There was no way that I was going to pay that much in small bags for as much as I needed.  I then got a tip to look for it under insulation as used in new construction.  I found a local firm that sold it in very large bags for $7.50 each, cash.  My 10 bags totally filled up the back of my F-150 pickup truck. You can get your materials from salvage.  My raised beds came from my fencing that was blown down by Hurricane Ike.  The size …


Two Letters Re: Mushrooms: Surviving Survival Food

Dear Editor: The submission by Roy H. on mushrooms bothers me on a survival skills level.   It bothers me because mushrooms are a poor source of calories.  Just 4 calories for the white button kind ranging up to 22 for Portabella mushrooms.  They’re mostly air and spores.  Yes, they have lots of vitamins in them – but I could spend all day foraging for mushrooms and end up expending more calories than I gain.  Let’s assume I find enough to pay me back for finding them, if they’re the white caps we’re familiar with and I spent 1 hour …


Economics and Investing:

The latest video from the NIA is excellent: The Day the Dollar Died Regular link contributor B.B. sent this: Holidays about survival as jobless benefits end Also from B.B.: Russia’s central bank to invest reserves in Australian dollar. Reader J.B.G. sent this: Jeb Bush: Some States Already ‘Bankrupt’ Items from The Economatrix: The Euro Game Is Up   Euro, Stocks, Spanish Bonds Fall On Concern European Debt Crisis To Spread   New Phase Of Debt Crisis Striking Now!  Despite Rescues!   Global Sovereign Debt Default Bankruptcy Bailout And Contagion Risk Assessment   Huge Drop In Credit Card Users 


Odds ‘n Sods:

Tim. R. was the first of several SurvivalBlog readers to mention this: 10 Skills Needed to Thrive in a Post-Collapse World    o o o Jeremy C. sent this item: Madison County [Indiana] to evict man from camper.    o o o Simon J. mentioned: The R2B2 pedal-powered kitchen appliance concept.    o o o Reader Don W. forwarded this: Mystery Surrounds Cyber Missile That Crippled Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Ambitions. Oh and speaking of scary computer technology, Laura C. sent this: Race Is On to ‘Fingerprint’ Phones, PCs    o o o Captain Bart sent this news from England: Millions …



Note from JWR:

The Rawles Gets Your Ready Family Preparedness Course is only rarely offered at a discounted price. Until Monday December 13th, the publisher is running a special sale, with a $50 discount. Don’t miss out on the chance to get a copy for yourself, or to give one as a Christmas gift. — Today we present the first entry for Round 32 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will include: First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for …


Mushrooms: Surviving Survival Food, by Roy H.

I’m not a mushroom expert. But I still gather and safely eat several types of wild mushrooms, and have done so for years. Wild mushrooms are a tasty and nutritious addition to any diet, and the ability to identify and gather a few safe species is a great asset to any set of survival skills. The keys to wild mushroom safety are learning and admitting your limitations, religiously sticking with a few guidelines, and seeking out expert help to increase and enhance your knowledge. Before starting to gather wild mushrooms in your area, read some good books like Mushrooming without …


Letter Re: Feed Corn for Family Food Storage?

James Wesley, I am starting to store food for the future and have some wheat, beans and rice.  I would like to store corn to make into cornmeal, however I haven’t seen any available for this purpose.  I live in the southeast ands there is lots of corn we use to feed deer.  Is this suitable or can I get seed corn from the local feed store?  Any help you can provide would be appreciated.   I read your site each day and have learned a great deal from you and your readers. Thanks, – Gary M. JWR Replies: Unfortunately, …


Letter Re: Readiness for Winter Driving Emergencies

Hi Jim, and Readers;     Winter is here! After all of the winter preparations around the house, trying to winterize the chicken coop.  The snow has come, and to date in the last better than two weeks we have had a total of about four feet of snow already. Wow!  I now have about nine hours behind the snow blower, and snow plow already. I consider this work “Better than mowing grass any day in the heat”. I try to keep my driving to a minimum, especially on our local highway as much as possible. (The only way to any …


Letter Re: Hunting for Canadian Silver Coins

Hello Mr. Rawles, I’m a newbie to investing in junk silver and no nothing about coin collecting, but some questions at my local coin shop in Calgary, some research on Wikipedia have yielded some information I thought your readers might find useful: 1920 – 1967 Canadian minted coins seem to be the most commonly collected and follow this general rule: Any combination of $1 face value 1920 – 1967 Canadian minted coins contain 0.6 Troy Ounces of silver (said coins have 80% silver content), with the exception of dimes and nickels. In 1967-1968 it appears there were 50% silver dimes …


Economics and Investing:

Those pesky derivatives again: The Next Shoe To Drop: European Insurance Companies – Assicurazioni Generali CDS Explodes. (Thanks to J.B.G. for the link.) Another from J.B.G.: US Ready to Back Bigger EU Stability Fund: Official. John R. sent these two items: EU Outlines Bond Restructuring Plan  Also from John: EU rescue costs start to threaten Germany itself. “The escalating debt crisis on the eurozone periphery is starting to contaminate the creditworthiness of Germany and the core states of monetary union.” Mounting calls for ‘nuclear response’ to save monetary union. (Thanks to J.B.G. for the link.) Dr. Housing Bubble reports: The …


Odds ‘n Sods:

This news story from U.S.A. Today sounds like something out of a novel I once read wrote: More families, friends move in together. They even refer to it as “doubling up.” A hat tip to Jeff S. for sending us the link.    o o o I recently placed a small order with L.L. Bean Company. When it arrived, I was disgusted to see that they are now selling some clothes that are made in mainland China. My advice is that if you place an order with them only do so by phone, and insist that they omit any items …