Just-In-Time Food Storage – Part 5, by St. Funogas

(Continued from Part 4. This concludes the article.)

Canned Vegetables – 52 15-oz Cans

For variety with meals.

Peanut Butter – 12 40-oz jars

Twelve jars of peanut butter sounds like a boat load to some people but again, our daily menus after the SHTF will change greatly from what they are now with so many processed and or refrigerated/frozen foods.

Of course, peanut butter will work as a food-storage item for some people but not others. With the same money you can get another 48 cans of canned tuna and/or chicken, or other food items, but all will have fewer calories per pound than peanut butter.

With 2,675 calories per pound peanut butter takes up less storage room calorie-wise than other foods, plus it has good nutritional value. Peanut butter goes best with the fresh bread we’ll be baking or can be eaten straight out of the jar when the Mr. Planters run out.

Do an Internet search on peanut butter recipes and you’ll find all kinds of interesting ways to use it in cooking. If you have cocoa powder in your cupboard you can combine the two to make Reece’s-Cup-tasting baked items such as brownies and cakes. I use peanut butter as a thickener in hummus when I don’t have tahini.Continue reading“Just-In-Time Food Storage – Part 5, by St. Funogas”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those — or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

Fall weather is now rolling in, with full force. A so-called “atmospheric river” has a series of La Niña-driven storms lined up, across the northern Pacific Ocean.  In short, we are expecting a very snowy winter in the Inland Northwest.

To be ready to plow snow on short notice, I positioned our time-proven “fence” made of  2x4s across the bed of our pickup, just behind the wheel wells. That keeps six 80-pound sandbags from shifting forward. Those bags are, as the song goes: “…just for weight, dear…”  Sitting alongside them is a 4-gallon plastic container of sand — a re-purposed cat litter jug. That jug is there in case we need to pour any traction sand in a hurry.  This time of year we also carry tow chains in both our pickup and our SUV.  And, of course, we habitually carry a snow shovel, at least one sleeping bag, and spare heavy winter coats, this time of year.

Now, Lily’s report…Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel: for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.

By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.

Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.

Yet let no man strive, nor reprove another: for thy people are as they that strive with the priest.

Therefore shalt thou fall in the day, and the prophet also shall fall with thee in the night, and I will destroy thy mother.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame.

They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity.

And there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward them their doings.

For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the Lord.

Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.

My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God.” – Hosea 4:1-12 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — November 1, 2024

November 1st is the birthday of economist Martin A. Armstrong. (Born, 1949.) For many years he was a prisoner of conscience, in part because he refused to turn over his proprietary trading algorithms to Federal prosecutors. After seven years in prison without a trial, the longest Federal incarceration for contempt in American history. Armstrong was finally put on trial in a proceeding that was branded as a sham. He was convicted on securities fraud charges based on some marginal testimony and given a five-year sentence. Notably, Armstrong continued to write his economics newsletter while in prison, producing most of the issues on a prison library typewriter. He was released from prison in September of 2011.

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November 1st, 1923 was the birthday of science fiction writer Gordon R. Dickson (born 1923, died January 31, 2001). Many of his novels and short stories, such as Wolf and Iron, have survivalist themes

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On November 1, 1665, Robert Hooke‘s landmark work “Micrographia” with drawings using a microscope and coining the word “cell” was published by the Royal Society.

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November 1,  1928:  The Graf Zeppelin set an airship flight distance record of 6,384 kilometers.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 115 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com.
  4. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  6. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $925,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 115 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Just-In-Time Food Storage – Part 4, by St. Funogas

(Continued from Part 3.)

Flour – 150 lbs

Flour has 1,520 calories per pound. For just-in-time food prepping, whole wheat kernels (wheat berries) are impractical for most people. They require grinding before making flour and most people don’t have a wheat grinder on hand. For a JIT shopping list, flour is the best way to go.

When stored properly, store-bought refined white flour can last 10+ years. I can personally vouch for 5+ years in a gasketed food-storage bucket without oxygen absorbers. I now add white flour to my food storage instead of adding more wheat.

Flour isn’t just about calories, it also makes us feel fuller due to the air pockets in things like bread and pancakes. With a little practice anyone can learn to bake bread, rolls, and cakes etc.Continue reading“Just-In-Time Food Storage – Part 4, by St. Funogas”

October, 2024 in Precious Metals, by Everett Millman

Welcome to SurvivalBlog’s Precious Metals Month in Review, where we take a look at “the month that was” in precious metals. Each month, we cover gold’s performance and silver’s performance and examine the factors that affected the metal prices.

WHAT DID GOLD AND SILVER DO IN OCTOBER?

Following a September in which gold rose 5.2% and silver rallied 7.9%, the precious metals moved steadily higher yet again in October. Metals prices have risen in 11 of the last 13 months.

While gold fluctuated up and down for the first two weeks of the month, spot silver started off strong with four consecutive trading sessions in positive territory. This lifted the argent metal just shy of $32 per troy ounce. Silver then spent the following week giving back all of its gains.

Meanwhile, the gold market really started heating up at mid-month. From Oct. 15th through Oct. 18th, spot gold made successive new all-time highs. Friday the 18th was also one of the best trading days for silver in recent memory. Prices surged over $2, a single-day increase of 6.4%, to breach the $33/oz level.Continue reading“October, 2024 in Precious Metals, by Everett Millman”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at the 2024 BRICS Summit. (See the Precious Metals and Forex & Cryptos sections.)

Precious Metals:

The precious metals market roller-coaster ride is continuing, with a lot more “woo-hoo!”, than screaming. On Monday (October 28, 2024) spot gold started out strong, at $2,760 per Troy ounce. Silver was back up to $34.06.  Palladium has been the big mover, in recent days. It was at $1,266 on Monday, but down to $1,204, on Wednesday. Also on Wednesday, spot gold reached $2,803.60 USD in Asian trading. That was another all-time high.

I anticipate that silver and platinum still have more catching up to do, vis-a-vis gold. – JWR

o  o  o

The BRICS Aren’t The Only Ones Turning To Gold…

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From Reader C.B.:  Hungary strikes gold: New deposits may reshape economy.

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For more details on the nascent precious metals market, see today’s October in Precious Metals column. Stackers are living in some exciting times!

Economy & Finance:

North Dakota voters could end property taxes — and pour ‘gas on the spark’ of a growing tax revolt.

o  o  o

Analyzing China Exposure Risk.

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Charles Hugh Smith: 17 Indicators of Global Recession Are Clanging.

o  o  o

Reader C.B. spotted this M&A news: Verizon to Buy $1 Billion in Spectrum From US Cellular.

o  o  o

Store closings hit highest level in years amid higher prices, more budget-conscious consumers.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — October 31, 2024

Our family does not celebrate the pagan Halloween. (We are with Drew Carey, on that one. We don’t “…party with this guy.”) October 31st is also Reformation Day, recognizing the significance of Martin Luther posting his 95 Theses, and that is what we celebrate, here at the Rawles Ranch.

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On October 31, 1888, Scottish inventor and veterinarian surgeon John Boyd Dunlop patented the pneumatic bicycle tire.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 115 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com.
  4. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  6. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $925,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 115 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Just-In-Time Food Storage – Part 3, by St. Funogas

(Continued from Part 2.)

Priorities in Food Selection For a JIT Food-Storage Program

The following list is a one-year supply for one person so multiply it by however many people you’re buying for. If a year’s worth doesn’t seem practical divide it by how many months you want to prepare for.

Any kind of food-storage program should be primarily based on daily calories. For those without much money to spend, you want the most calories each dollar can provide you with. High-calorie foods also take up less storage space than low-calorie foods.

Calorie information is provided on my list. For other foods you want on your own list, the calories can be calculated easily enough from food-package labels. My numbers are based on the recommended 2,500 calories per day for adults. When our daily lifestyle includes a lot of physical labor, more calories are required of course.Continue reading“Just-In-Time Food Storage – Part 3, by St. Funogas”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column: More saber-rattling and general angst, in the news.

Election Fears Ignite ‘Preppers’

The leftist NBC News reports: Election fears ignite ‘preppers’ already planning for the catastrophic unknown.

What Countries Will Be in World War 3?

Over at the MIRA Safety blog: 2024 Conflict Analysis: What Countries Will Be in World War 3?

The Prepper Supply Business is Booming

Peter in Ohio sent this: In uncertain times, the prepper supply business is booming.

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — October 30, 2024

On October 30, 1938, a radio broadcast of H.G. Wells “The War of the Worlds“, narrated by Orson Welles, caused a mass panic.

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October 30, 1893: US Senate approved repealing Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890.

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October 30th, 1735 was the birthday of President John Adams. (Some sources cite his birthdate as October 19, 1735.)

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Some sad news: Teri Garr has passed away.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 115 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com.
  4. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  6. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $925,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 115 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Just-In-Time Food Storage – Part 2, by St. Funogas

(Continued from Part 1.)

Repackaging vs Keeping Original Packaging

Whether we’re using freezer or mylar bags for our SOP food storage, we’ll need to know what needs repackaging and what doesn’t.

Leaving in Original Packaging – Pest-wise, some of the items on our shopping list can be left in the original packaging if the packaging is good enough or if the food doesn’t attract pests. Sugar can be left in its original paper bag. If it clumps inside the bag before opening, a few raps on a countertop will break up the lumps. The powdered milk I use comes in a sealed pest-proof #10 can. Vegetable oil, spices, yeast in glass jars, etc. are more items that can be left in their original containers.

Foods Which Must Be Repackaged – Other items on our JIT shopping list like beans and grains will eventually be attacked by pests if not repackaged. It may be a month or two, or it may be a year or so in the future. Spending a few dollars to double bag everything in freezer bags is the best option that makes sense pest-wise for JIT preppers who don’t have mylar bags. Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers are a certain guarantee against pests as long as the bags don’t get punctured.

If you buy JIT and use double freezer bags, pests are probably more of worry than a problem. After experimenting with freezer bags, and investigating all of my stored heritage seeds, I was pleasantly surprised at what I discovered. This topic will be covered in the follow-up article. If you have available freezer space the filled bags can also be frozen to kill any pests present at the time of filling.Continue reading“Just-In-Time Food Storage – Part 2, by St. Funogas”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

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By mule and helicopter, volunteers deliver aid to Helene victims.

o  o  o

Daniel Penny’s defense likely to invoke NYC subway as a key ‘witness’ in fatal chokehold trial. JWR’s Comments: In disarmed New York City, good citizens rarely step in to help others in danger. The few who do so are at risk of both prosecution and civil lawsuits from perpetrators who claim to be “victims”. The verdict in  this trial will tell us a lot about sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs in 21st Century New York City.  (I suspect that sheepdogs will still be in legal jeopardy.)

o  o  o

Long-time reader Chris M. wrote:

“The failure of the currency from the debt is going to be a bleak event.  Save the Republic, save the banks, or save the currency.  Pick any two.  Not even mentioned in the current political contests.  How do you navigate $35 Trillion on the books and $100 +/-Trillion that is off the books?”

o  o  o

New Jersey hunter kills 770-pound black bear, setting state record: ‘Smartest animal I’ve chased’. (A hat tip to H.L. for the link.)

o  o  o

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”