Recipe of the Week:

Brenda’s Santa Fe Stew 1 pound ground beef, venison, or elk, crumbled/browned/drained 1 onion, chopped/sauteed   Put above in a large pot and add:   1-2 Tablespoons taco seasoning mix 1-2 Tablespoons ranch dressing mix 1 can black beans 1 can pinto beans 1 can kidney beans 1 can corn (hominy is good too) 1 large can diced tomatoes 1 can Rotel tomatoes   Add water to suit your preference for consistency.  Simmer.  Serves 6. Chef’s Notes: Can be topped with shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips.   For freezing in individual containers, don’t add any extra water until you get ready to …


Economics and Investing:

An update: A week ago I mentioned that the producers of the popular Silver Bullet, Silver Shield videos commissioned the minting one-ounce .999 fine silver medallions of their own design. They are being sold for as little as $2.99 over the spot price of silver. If you order yours using the link from SurvivalBlog, we will earn a small sales commission to help defray our considerable monthly bandwidth expenses. I’ve heard that they’ve now pre-sold more than half of their planned minting of 50,000 coins. Watch the spot price of silver carefully, and buy on the dip days! AmEx (American …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader R.B.S. metioned an indie film that looks low on budget, but yet highly thought-provoking: Dragon Day. The film is nearing completion.    o o o The folks at DumpDC make a Redoubtable suggestion: Secession and Money. (Thanks to R.B.S. for the link.)    o o o James C. mentioned a use for a Stovetec rocket stove: Endless hot water from firewood.    o o o Freeze Dry Guy has announced a special for the month of October: a 144 Day Meat Variety Pack for $272.64 that contains a total of 144 1?2 Cup Servings of Mountain House freeze dried …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Let me tell you something about humans, nephew. They are a wonderful, friendly people as long as their bellies are full and their holosuites are working. But take away their creature comforts, deprive them of food, sleep, sonic showers, put their lives in jeopardy over an extended period of time, and those same friendly, intelligent, wonderful people will become as nasty and violent as any Klingon." – Armin Shimerman as Quark, the Ferengi bartender in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, from the episode "The Siege of AR-558" (Screenplay Ira Steven Behr and Hans Beimlerby.)


Note from JWR:

Today we present the last two entries for Round 42 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. As usual, we received a big rush of entries in the past week. Some of these will be rolled over into the judging for Round 43. The prizes for Round 42 include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) 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 military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases …


Grow Your Own Nutrient-Dense Fruits and Vegetables, by C.F.B.

Let’s face it.  When we get to point that you can’t call out, use a computer, or find a stop light that is working, our stash of stored food will eventually become depleted.  We will all become more and more dependent on local produce.  Even if food is available for purchase, many people will want to grow some of their own.  For most of us, growing our own fruits and vegetables in an efficient manner will be a challenge.  How successful we are in gardening will very much depend on our individual knowledge and skills.  If you have never gardened, …


The Complete Cycle Of Life, by Terry I.

Imagine a market place in your back yard for fresh homegrown fish, herbs, fruits and vegetables.  Best part of this is that you grew it and know what’s in it.  No pesticides or unwanted hormones and additives.  Plus the market is open 24/7. My Hawaii Experience  Living on an island  and having everything shipped into it makes for the worst case disaster when mother nature or human nature turns bad.  From total communications failure to coastal ports devastation, Hawaii would suffer the worst of all the states in the shortest amount of time.  A large population on island Oahu would …


Letter Re: Fabric Choices in Survival Clothing

I wanted to make a couple of clarifications to Emma C.’s article on fabric choices in survival clothing, specifically with regards to wool. As a full-time Shepherdess of more than 100 heritage breed sheep, my experience in handling and processing wool runs deep.  It was written that (with regard to socks), Wool does take more care than other fabrics in that it should be washed in cold water and lay flat to dry. While that statement is mostly accurate in general fabric care, there are primarily two things that can permanently change (i.e. shrinkage or felting) wool fabrics: agitation (washing/scrubbing) and …


Letter Re: Advice on Handgun Selection

Hello there! I stumbled upon your writing on the Internet, and would like to ask for your advice.   I am looking for a handgun for my girlfriend. Primarily for self defense. She wants one, but has never fired a weapon. My main concern is recoil. I was infantry in the Army for six years and have hunted for most of my life, so I have quite a bit of experience with weapons. I do admit that I am not that familiar with civilian models, so if you could recommend some or have any suggestions it would be appreciated.    …


Economics and Investing:

Eric Sprott talks precious metals on Squawk Box. Toward the end, he is asked about physical preparedness. Eric says: “Prudence is very much warranted.” (Thanks to SurvivalBlog’s G.G. for the link.) Faber Warns “Everything Will Collapse” G.G. sent this: USPS Prepares for Second Default in Two Months Bram suggested some good monetary analysis by Charles Hugh Smith: Why QE Won’t Create Inflation Quite as Expected Items from The Economatrix: The Truth About The Fiscal Cliff New Home Sales Dip, But Prices Hit 5-Year High Dr. Gary North:  Five Mainstream Economists Sound A Warning Europe Is Now In A Completely Unmanageable …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Download, print, fire: gun rights initiative harnesses 3D technology    o o o Alternatives To A Bugout Location – What You Should Consider    o o o The Most Often Forgotten Survival Preparations    o o o G.K. in western Washington mentioned yet another reason to avoid social media sites.    o o o Here are links to a couple of my recent radio interviews: EMPAct Radio and Time Monk Radio. (The latter is more than two hours long.)


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my [sheep], and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep …


Notes from JWR:

This is the birthday of Austrian School economist Ludwig von Mises (1881 – 1973.) The many resources at the Ludwig von Mises Institute web site are worth exploring. — Today we present another entry for Round 42 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) 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 military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two …


Update on the Release of “Founders”

This is for those who have asked for more details on the release of my latest novel “Founders”, particularly about the audio book and ebook: The audio book edition of “Founders” was narrated by Phil Gigante. He is a former Shakespearean actor and an Audie award-winner with a great voice. The cover artwork for Founders was done by Tony Mauro Jr., who is best known for his movie posters. He did a fantastic job of capturing the atmosphere of Ken & Terry Layton’s trek.   Sources for “Founders” – Hardback, eBook and Audio Book Formats Hardcover Book Sellers: Amazon.com BAMM …


The Likelihood of Man-Made Disaster, by William Crosby Prentice

Introduction, Scale I think you will agree that you will get the highest returns from your preparation investments when you make those decisions based on the relative likelihood of a range of SHTF scenarios.  Unfortunately, the probability of many SHTF situations is very hard to determine, and will end up being a judgment call.  However, there is some information out there on the likelihood of certain events that qualify as SHTF.  This information allows us to at least calibrate our judgment calls on the likelihood of certain events, enabling us to refine our gut feelings. In doing so, we will …