Category: Food Storage & Cooking

Letter Re: Thermos Cooking and Grass Control

JWR, While digging through a web page associated with Grandpappy’s SurvivalBlog article on making home-made-soap, I found some other interesting information. In particular I was reading about survival cooking on the run in this online short story. So I did a search on “Thermos cooking” and found that Kurt Saxon has published an online article about this topic. (I had looked at his front page before but hadn’t dug much further.) This may be a valuable item for a Bug-Out Bag (BOB) or a get-home-bag. Plus the aforementioned short story while maybe not written too well is chock full of …


“Zeroing In” Your Bugout Bag, by SF in Hawaii

Last week my wife told me that another couple had gotten reservations at the cabins at Haleakela State Park for the Labor Day Weekend. We would hike across the crater floor, then down the Kaupo Gap. These are hard to come by and since we were invited, I felt we had to go. Great, a chance to try out my bug out bag. I gave my feet a liberal and prophylactic spraying of anti-fungal medication (a ritual I would end up doing every morning on that trip) and put on my Bug-Out Bag (BOB). Before we left, I unscrewed the …


Letter Re: Advice on Compact Solar-Powered Refrigerators for Insulin

Sir: I am a Type 2 diabetic. I think that diabetics like me, and even more so Type 1s (those with onset in childhood) will be at particular risk in the event of a catastrophe, whether it is localized, national, or global. What is your recommendation for a method to keep insulin refrigerated in a long term so-called “Grid Down” situation? A solar powered fridge? Thanks, – Ron in Alabama JWR Replies: I recommend the Engel brand 12 VDC refrigerators sold by Safecastle. A modest-size photovoltaic power system, such as the 520 watt 4-panel packaged “cabin” system produced by Ready …


Letter Re: Suburban Survival

Hi Jim and Family, I truly enjoy reading your survival blog and learn from it daily and weekly. However I believe you are skipping over a topic that would benefit your readers….most of your readers. I would think that most of your readers who check out and read your site on a daily basis do not have a remote retreat in Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, or Wyoming. Most of your readers I’m sure live like me in American Suburbs, trapped and looking for a way to get out but in the mean time prepping for what we all know is …


Letter Re: Dispensing Charity in the Midst of a Societal Collapse

Hello Mr. Rawles, Perhaps you and the readers could help me sort through an issue I’ve been wrestling with for some time. From what I’ve read in the archives it appears that some of your readers are struggling with it also. For almost two decades I have been preparing for the SHTF scenario I believe is inevitable, given our country’s course. I have read about the need for Christian charity during the difficult time that will come and as a Christian I agree. Many suggest that you should store extra food and necessities and dispense them during difficult times. Good …


Two Letters Re: Will Things Get as Bad as Described in “Patriots”?

Dear JWR, I think it’s great when people stop and think after reading your novel “Patriots”. I[‘m writing] in reply to Thompson’s question and your reply. (OBTW, I applaud Thompson’s double six pack purchase). In my opinion, some aspects of a collapse/terrorist attack aftermath can get as bad if not worse than in your novel, depending on where you live. Those of us that do have relatives with their head in the sand or somewhere else, you will have to make some tough decisions if and when the SHTF. Do you take the time to help out the ones that …


Letter Re: Alcohol Stoves

Jim, I found this very cool German-made alcohol stove called the Turm Touring. I’ve never seen anything like it before. Took it home put some alcohol in the brass tank and lit the burner. It really works well. I got a nice blue flame; lots of heat from this little single burner stove. Very interesting design; no pressure! You don’t have to pump up a tank with air like the Coleman stoves. Then reading some more I found this web site: SpiritBurner.com Very interesting and seems like something a survival type person would be interested in. – Fred The Valmet-meister


Letter Re: Honey Prices Escalating, Just as Predicted

Jim: Saw the post regarding imported honey. Heard the same thing from my small time honey supplier. For west coast Costco’s, Silverbow honey is pure and made from US and Canadian honey. Verified this with the folks at Silverbow, based in Moses Lake, Washington state. For the record, I do my best to support local businesses and suppliers in Washington state and the Pacific Northwest, followed (naturally!) by SurvivalBlog [paid advertisers and affiliate] advertisers. Regards, – MP near Seattle


Letter Re: Ezekiel Mix–a Complete Survival Food

Jim and readers, Many of you that have read the Bible remember Ezekiel in the Old Testament. Ezekiel 4:9 says “Take thou unto thee wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet and fitches (spelt), and put them into one vessel and make thee bread thereof.” This diet sustained Ezekiel in the desert for 390 days. A modern day interpretation of the Ezekiel recipe calls for the following: 20 parts wheat, 12 parts Spelt, 4 parts Hulled Barley, 2 parts Hulled Millet, 2 parts lentils, 2 parts Pinto Beans, 1 part Great Northern Beans, 1 part Kidney Beans. Modern Food scientists have found …


Letter Re: Honey Prices Escalating, Just as Predicted

James, Any honey you are purchasing at Costco, Sam’s Club, et cetera is undoubtedly imported from China or South America. We all know about the recalls for Chinese food products that are tainted. South America isn’t any better as they still allow toxic chemicals to be used in their agriculture that have been long banned in the US. I sure wouldn’t want to be storing this honey. Find a local beekeeper and buy your honey [there]. We are small beekeepers in that we have only 10 colonies but probably get more production as we actually take care of our colonies …


Letter Re: Honey Prices Escalating, Just as Predicted

Jim: Several months ago, I e-mailed you and the others on the blog about bulk honey prices going up. They stabilized at $7.99 for a 96 liquid ounce jug of Silverbow brand honey at Costco for many months. Two weeks ago, a jug of honey was $7.99. As of today, the same jug is $8.79, a 90 cent price increase. I put out some questions as to why the price increase and all I am hearing is minor costs due to dwindling honey supplies (as was discussed in SurvivalBlog) but [also] a greater [wholesale] cost due to transportation costs as …


Four Letters Re: Providing Crucial Fats and Oils in Your Diet

Jim, One oil that I think is very good for us and has exceptional storage life is coconut oil. That is, organic, extra-virgin coconut oil. There is quite a bit of info out there on it, the two best sites that I have found are, www.wildernessfamilynaturals.com, and www.tropicaltraditions.com. In our research, coconut oil is better for your health than even olive oil. We have been using it exclusively for about nine months. God Bless, – Bob P.   Mr. Rawles: One of your readers recent comments about geese as a source of fat served to jog my memory about the …


Letter Re: Food Reserves and Summer Kitchens

Hello James, Not long ago, our friends at FEMA destroyed six million MREs, (which we taxpayers had purchased at a cost of $40 million). Why? Because of storage conditions. Now this is an extreme example: FEMA placing food products in unrefrigerated containers under the Gulf Coast summer sun. But it does serve to illustrate that no matter how large one’s pantry may be, to avoid turning that food into so much garbage, you have to monitor storage conditions. Our “summer kitchen” at our home/retreat occupies a 200 square foot area in one of the outbuildings. This room is double insulated …


Two Letters Re: Providing Crucial Fats and Oils in Your Diet

Jim: I just wanted to let you know of a web site where one can buy natural oils in bulk. It’s a company in Solon, Ohio, called “Oils By Nature“. They produce their own oils with the lowest amount of refining and don’t add things like detergents and anti-foaming agents, etc. Prices are based on seasonal availability. Their customer service is great! For example, I bought a 55 lb. of unrefined Palm Kernel Oil for a very good price. This kind of fat is solid at room temperature and it’s molecular composition is very usable by the human body. It …


Three Letters Re: Providing Crucial Fats and Oils in Your Diet

Mr. Rawles: Firstly, I must say I have found your site informative and have implemented many of the ideas/suggestions listed on it. Regarding the most recent post regarding crucial fats in the diet, I must say it was informative but I felt it left out a very viable source of animal fat: The Groundhog. While it may be a rodent, it only eats plants and an occasional insect. The meat is good but greasy since groundhogs actually hibernate. This means later on in the year they will have stored up a large amount of fat which would be of very …