Letter Re: The Survival Garden

Dear Mr. Rawles, I’ve been an organic farmer in Ontario Canada for 12 years, and thought Chris S made some excellent points regarding underestimating the amount of fresh food required to sustain life.  I’ve ‘done the math’ myself, and found that a subsistence garden consisting of potatoes, corn, winter squash and beans would require a minimum of 5,000 square feet per person to provide 2,000 calories per day over the course of a year.   These crops were chosen with consideration for yield, nutrition, and storability. Another consideration is repeatability i.e. the ability to replant from your own stores.   Assuming you wanted 25% …


Recipe of the Week:

Jaime’s Black Bean, Corn, and Turkey Soup   1 lb ground turkey 1 tbsp vegetable oil 1 medium onion, diced 1 tbsp chili powder 1 tsp cumin 3 cups chicken broth 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed 1 can sweet corn, drained 1 cup salsa   Saute turkey and onion in vegetable oil until brown.  Then add the spices and cook for 2 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  Enjoy with your favorite corn bread!   Our favorite corn bread recipe is as follows:   1 box Jiffy Yellow …


Economics and Investing:

Reader H.L. recommended this over at The Daily Crux: Top Manager Grantham: Get Ready for a Global Food Crisis The other side of persistently high unemployment – Underemployment rate shoots up to 15 percent but is actually more problematic because of the civilian employment-population ratio. G.G. flagged this: Cash-for-gold shops boom as Italians sell off their bling Items from The Economatrix: Get Used To The “New Norm” of 6-7% US Jobless Rate Peter Schiff:  Priced For Collapse IMF:  US Plunge From Fiscal Cliff Would Hit Global Economy Hard Oil Surges Most in a Month as US Adds Jobs, Services


Odds ‘n Sods:

I am often asked for predictions on the timeframe for a societal collapse. If I claimed to know the year, then I’d be guessing. And if I claimed to know the precise date then I’d be a good candidate for the psych ward. But if I claimed that it can’t happen in the few decades, then I’d have my head in the sand and would be doing everyone a great disservice.    o o o Does this sound reminiscent of India? Aging power grid on overload as U.S. demands more electricity. And in related news, G.G. flagged this: Outage in …



Notes from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 41 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 cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any …


Survival of the Un-Fittest — What to Do for the Ill, Disabled and Elderly, by Echo A.

Part of preparing for any emergency, including TEOTWAWKI, is making plans for those who cannot take care of themselves. Yet, there is very information out there about what to do about Grandma and Grandpa in a crisis situation, or those who just may not be the “fittest.”   Having elders who have been struggling with dementia or who are in cancer treatment, having seen so many of our soldiers come home with PTSD, having loved ones who are chronically ill or permanently disabled, I think about prepping in perhaps a different way than others. After seeking out the information I needed …


Letter Re: Halfway Preppers

Dear SurvivalBloggers: What is a halfway prepper? Some people think it is a lazy prepper. Well, if you’re lazy you’re not getting prepped. A halfway prepper is someone who gets things done slowly but isn’t going to let life pass them by. Is prepping worth losing friends (I try to make them see the light), missing date night with the wife, missing out on your favorite sports, living as a recluse? When SHTF things will change but I don’t want to miss those things.We have to continue to live in the world as we prepare for the future. I know …


Economics and Investing:

Collapse Of Financial System Will Come In August, Maybe September: Market-Watchers.( Thanks to Jim W. for the link.) Reader H.L. suggested this piece by Gonzalo Lira: How A Country Rationally Exits The Eurozone What’s in your vault? Uncle Sam audits its stash of gold at the New York Fed. The gold audit is a first for the institution and includes drilling into several hundred ingots. It could put the conspiracy theories to rest. Items from The Economatrix: Is The Gold Rush Over? Jobs Outlook Poor, Improvement Unlikely 65 Signs That The Economic Collapse Is Already Happening


Odds ‘n Sods:

The Survival Mindset, as seen from a Christian perspective. (This video series by Andrew von Ehrenkrook is recommended.)    o o o Demo of VPNs being compromised at Defcon: Marlinspike demos MS-CHAPv2 crack. Also, Tracking Android phones is easy, says researcher    o o o EMP attack: ‘90% of Americans would be dead’    o o o Mary F. sent an interesting piece about Mexico: Reclaiming the Forests and the Right to Feel Safe    o o o From Tim M.: Human cycles: History as science



Note from JWR:

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 cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any …


Simplify Now, Before TEOTWAWKI, by M.D.M.

I live a self-sustaining and prepared lifestyle, always have and always will. My parents and grandparents lived this way and taught me well. Several years ago, we chose to purchase property for a mini-farm near a university town, so that we could have it all, a self-sufficient small farm near educational and intellectual endeavors for my children. Naturally hidden from view we bulldozed a home site in the woods and built our property up to be self-sufficient, with woods for firewood, fruit trees, garden areas, secret outdoor rooms, caves and everything anyone would want. I worked full time then and …


Letter Re: Experience Canning and Dehydrating Tomatoes

Dear Captain Rawles:  Each year we dehydrate and can a lot of tomatoes.  In past years we used a “Squeezo” device to separate the skin and seeds from the pulp.   A better way is to slice each tomato into about 8 slices, from top to bottom.  Then (over a sink) with one’s fingers strip out the seed pulp and seeds.  This also removes the water surrounding the seeds and pulp.  Put the slices into a blender.  Liquefy for a couple of minutes.  Pour the homogenized tomato into the stockpot to heat for canning. The homogenized skin in nutritious.  By removing the …


Economics and Investing:

Greeks can no longer afford paying expensive bribes. (Thanks to Rhonda for the link.) Fred K. mentioned this ABC News report: U.S. Bridges, Roads Being Built by Chinese Firms H.L. spotted this: Deflation? Don’t Count On It… Also from H.L.: 100,000 Workers in Spain Will Not be Paid Because Regional Government of Catalona is Broke Items from The Economatrix: Confidence Drains Away Debt Crisis Live:  July 31, 2012 Investing In Silver:  States Support Move to Metals as USD Weakens