Survival Journal, by Harley

Hi, I am a journeyman, millwright, and electrician by trade and do a lot of fabrication for the companies I work for. I also have 20+ years as a contractor, building houses. Additionally, I am an avid artist and a survivalist.

The basic principle of a survival journal is almost exactly as it sounds. I say almost, because there is a bit more to it than just a simple journal. I will give my general journal layout and some of my reasons for adding certain things. First off, I will give some description of what kind of book I currently use.

The Book Itself and How It Started

I found a leather bound standard 4″x6″ drawing pad for my use. Any book would work depending on your preference, be it a write-in-the-rain book or lined tablet; it doesn’t really matter what you choose, though I would try to stick to something small for a lighter weight and easier carrying ability. I even went so far as to make a pouch for mine out of leather so I can put it on my belt and have easy access to it when out. It is a constant work in progress. Revised and expanded as I learn new things, think of other tidbits to put into it, and add other techniques. The book is also quite disorganized at the moment, and will likely stay that way for the foreseeable future.

My survival journal started out as a guide to my wife and children, with as much of my knowledge written in it that I could think of, in the event of my inability to be around in the case of a SHTF scenario, or for any reason where they may need to know certain things. I agree that practicing skills with your loved ones should be the primary method of passing on information and I do, but a written history definitely has its advantages. The most important reason is that people forget things under the best of circumstances let alone in high stress situations. On the other hand, it is good for you as the writer/survivalist to write these things down as the actions are performed to positively reinforce them as they are happening. As you are trying new things, add them to the book. Include what works best for tinder, thatching for a shelter, or cordage for fishing; the best part is, it will be the specific resources of your region and area. In the end, it becomes the tailored survival guide for where you live. I speak of the wilderness survival aspect at the moment, but by no means does it have to be (or should be) limited to this. I live near the outskirts of a small town of about 3,000 people. This town contains plenty of businesses with useful items in them, as well as a ton of wooded area within and around four counties and larger cities about 30 miles away, so there will definitely be urban and wilderness survival mixed together. So on to the meat and potatoes of the content, and why certain things are added and embellished upon.

The Plan

In the beginning of the journal, I lay out the various bug out plans. Considering these would be used in the most extreme cases, I want them clearly written and available with instructions of where to go, estimated times it should take to get there, and numerous contingencies for consideration, load limits of my immediate family, and means of travel, whether by foot, car, boat, or bike. There is so much information that I could put into the plan, it could take hours to write it all down. In another section, I also cover bugging in, which doesn’t change too much of the living conditions in the beginning.

The Skills

This section takes into consideration the various elements involved in standard situations, specifically the environment and opsec. Given the area I live in, there are both urban and wilderness skills to be learned. The skills section covers but is not limited to trapping, skinning, primitive fire starting, tech fire starting (batteries and uncommon methods), water procurement, camouflage, and stalking. Basically, if it deals with learned skills needed to generally survive, I try to put it in here. The skills are a generalized set that would basically work in most any situation. There are many other survival sets that are covered and that will be expanded upon.

Weapons and Tools, including Field Expedient

This is my expertise. I began making weapons at the age of 12; though they were crude and mostly weak, they were generally functional. Over the years they have grown to be a bit more impressive, pretty, and extremely functional. Some of my most recent creations are two tantos– one that has a completely hand carved handle and sheath of mahogany for my late grandfather and one for my father with a tsuba of solid carved silver. A few more of my creations include a Viking axe for my best friend and the construction of two bows, which is relatively a new learned skill of only a few years. Teaching myself to build bows and arrows was a direct outcome of wanting to know how to create one of the oldest projectile weapons. Though i am still in need of fine-tuning the skill, they are definitely functional. Fom a weapon or tool perspective, function is the most important part, followed directly after by hardiness. At some point in my youth I found I had the ability to tell where the weak spot in any weapon/tool is and to use that to develop better designs and forms. This ability has helped tremendously over the years, and I can build pretty much all I need. In my journal I cover making every feasible weapon, trap, and tool I can think of that will be of use, though there are still quite a few that I haven’t added yet because of current time constraints. The basic principle of this section is to show hand-drawn instructions on how to complete a tool from start to finish with techniques and also the best materials to use.

Shelter, Water, Fire, Materials and Hunting

Here I show how to make various shelters, debris huts, lean tos, and teepees, and I include insulation methods and even how to lash it all together to be the most effective. I also cover how to make a water filter, trap water, how long to boil it, and where to get the freshest water in my area. The fire section has all the various methods of creating fire, including how to set up the fire bundle, birds nest, self-feeding fires, and the pit itself. The last bit on materials, hunting, and fishing is a bit more interesting in terms of content. The hunting part is pretty straight forward, all said and done. Then you get into how to skin and process the various animals where I live and prepare the meat. Also, this section is where the materials part comes into play, from the making of fishing gear including cordage to catch your first fish, which in turn is used to create objects like needles and more hooks, to using the skins and bones in animals to make even more gear. There is even a section in here that explains how to knap a knife from stone, make a fishing/frog spear, and tan a hide for clothing and shelter, though if I did my job right and the plan was followed, there shouldn’t be a need for a lot of this primitive gear for quite awhile, unless something breaks.

Urban Survival

The urban survival section goes into pretty good detail for dealing with the trouble and unique issues of an urban setting. I try to encompass the local businesses in respect to a SHTF scenario. As in what to get from where, what to look out for, methods of moving around a city to shorten exposure to unwanted attention, and how to access certain buildings. At this stage, the focus is on scavenging useful items and supplies while there is still stuff to be had. [Editors Note: It is important to remember – unless you know for sure that what you are taking does not already belong to someone else, it is not scavenging, it is stealing and you may be severely hurting someone else’s ability to survive. In addition, while scavenging may be necessary at times, the risk to you goes up exponentially during those times.] Considering the ease of access to all of the amenities of our modern age in an urban setting, tools and weapons are not really an issue, though I do go through finding ammunition in abandoned houses and other items of interest. Toothpaste, toilet paper, clothing, hygiene products, medicine, and pots and pans are a huge bonus if you are trying to survive anywhere. You can’t really pick those up in the woods. (Yeah, I know there are alternatives to most of these in the wilderness.)

There is so much more that you could put into your journal, depending on your personal preferences. I have intentionally left out foraging for edible plants because my skill/knowledge of it is severely lacking at this point. My plans are to change that in the near future and to teach that to my wife and children as well. I am by no means an expert on most of these subjects (though my study of historical weapons has surpassed 20 years) and I make no allusions to being such. I am simply a student and teacher to my own little group. I am a craftsman of pretty good skill and a seeker of knowledge, which will help me and mine not just survive but thrive. Every little bit helps in the end, and if there is a way to continue to teach, even if i am no longer around, then I owe it to my children and my wife to try everything I can to accomplish that task. The easiest way that I have found so far is to have a history of my trials and successes, which I call my survival journal.

Letter Re: Cold Steel Voyager-JWR Edition

Hugh and Capt. Rawles,

I’ve been following SB.com for about three years now after reading How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It. That book and others opened me up to the insanity surrounding us, and I suddenly felt sadly under-prepared.

Since then I’ve trolled the web, bookstores, and gun shows for tools to help me protect my family. My enthusiasm can probably be attributed to wanting to ensure my two little girls never have to suffer through the times depicted in Jim’s works of fiction. I have held out, for the most part, from purchasing any item that is endorsed or otherwise marketed by “person A” or “organization B”, as I’ve found that many of those items are single-use tools.

A knife, however, has many uses, and I can be accused of being a collector of bladed implements. So I decided to add the Voyager to my collection. I have only one good, solid blade with me on the ship, so a backup seemed logical. Being on deployment, the speed at which it would arrive was a bit of a question for me. I was very impressed by the speed at which it arrived to my hands on the ship, less than two weeks.

As for the knife itself; it’s simple, solid, and a whole lotta blade for the buck. While showing it off to the other guys in my unit, one of them suffered a small cut from closing the blade. That’s how sharp it ships from Cold Steel. I personally enjoy how you can get a comfortable grip close to the hinge point or down by the pommel. It is a little large as folders go; however, should you need this guy, size probably will not be a big concern.

All-in-all, it’s a great piece to add to your kit, and I’m already quite glad to have it out here as one of my many tools should things go badly. – F.M.

Economics and Investing:

7 million college debtors have yet to make a single student loan payment in last year. The college debt bubble grows.

o o o

Interest rates to remain ‘stuck’ at 5000 year-old levels Has the great correction begun? Time will tell. It’s mathematically impossible for the system we have to keep growing as it is; common sense tells a person this. Either way the prudent prepare as Joseph did in Egypt long ago. – A.S.

o o o

Gold Facts and Gold Speculations

o o o

Wikipedia Lists Today As One of Largest Intraday Point Swings, 1,089.42 Points Between The Intraday High And The Intraday Low

o o o

Items from Mr. Econocobas:

Market Talk Suddenly Turns to Specter of QE4

Readers’ Recommendations of the Week:

Hi Hugh,

Reading Carol Deppe’s book, I realized I needed to read:

Buffalo Bird Woman’s Garden Gilbert L. Wilson, Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1987

The Hidatsa grew corn, beans, squash, sunflowers near the Missouri River in ND. Clearly, they were able to feed themselves without tractors or mules! They very efficiently processed and saved their corn, beans, squash, sunflower seed. The book takes one through a typical year and is rich in describing their culture, songs, stories, ceremonies, recipes, and way of life. The first edition was published in 1917. Buffalo Bird Woman was born around 1839.

One review from Foster’s Botanical and Herb Review: “every gardener and agricultural scientist should find gems of practical wisdom in these pages, borne from an age-old tradition when sustainable agricultural practices…made the difference in sustaining life. Fascinating!”

Odds ‘n Sods:

Got an old Radio Shack brand scanner? Here are the manuals and instruction data for them. Free.

Some scanners allow for modifications. You can search those out on the web by searching for the model and modifications that can be done, if you are so motivated. – RBS

o o o

Man Indicted For Shotgun Blasts At Hovering Drone – D.S.

o o o

Wolverines! The danger may not be from where you expect. – W.C.

o o o

Man’s Concrete Home Survives Raging Wildfire in Washington – A.W.

o o o

Utah boy survived night in woods by curling up in warm rocks – J.C.
There was a time in our history when this would not have been unusual.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“The heavens declare the glory of God;
and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
Day unto day uttereth speech,
and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
There is no speech nor language,
where their voice is not heard.
Their line is gone out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun” (Psalm 19:1-4)

“For some, the star filled sky is only ambient light. To the professorial-secularist who peers through telescopes and patronizes the planetarium, seeking to see what stars are made of, not their Maker; they completely miss the mark. For others, stars are merely a magical twinkle, simply inspiring them to wonder what they are. But for the person more concerned with one day meeting his Maker, more concerned with his fallen state than falling stars, their declaration of glory is great news. The stars are a sign that gently whispers that we’re not forgotten and that our Deliverer wants us to look to Him for hope.”

– Bastion of Liberty – Simply Stellar

Notes for Tuesday – August 25, 2015

August 25th is a birthday shared by novelist Frederick Forsyth (born 1938) and American humorist Patrick F. McManus (born 1933). Forsyth was the author of The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, The Fourth Protocol, The Dogs of War, The Devil’s Alternative, and many others. McManus was born and raised in Sandpoint, Idaho, so his books could be classified as American Redoubt humor. When I met Pat a few years ago, Pat very kindly autographed my entire battered collection of his books. Some of these books had been so well-loved that the pages were falling out of their bindings. I suppose that is the ultimate compliment for an author. – JWR

o o o

Today, we present another entry for Round 60 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $10,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value),
  2. 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,
  3. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chromlined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR type rifle to have quick change barrel, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools, and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  4. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul pmags 30rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt. (An equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions.),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A Model 120 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $340 value),
  7. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  8. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304,
  9. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate, and
  10. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100-foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  3. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package–enough for two families of four, seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate– a $325 retail value,
  4. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  5. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  6. Twenty Five books, of the winners choice, of any books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  7. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  8. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate,
  9. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  10. Safecastle is providing a package of 10 Lifestraws (a $200 value).

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  6. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit,
  7. Montie Gear is donating a Precision Rest (a $249 value), and
  8. 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).

Round 60 ends on September 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.

Learning How to Grow Food in the American Redoubt, by AJ

What happens when our food preparations run out? This question has kept me awake more nights than I care to remember. Whatever your scenario– economic collapse, electromagnetic pulse (EMP), pandemic, a nuclear attack, or another devastating TEOTWAWKI situation– there will be a point when food becomes scarce. Learning to grow and preserve our own food will become necessary at some point, and the time to learn these essential skills is now.

I literally “woke up” one day, after months of digging deeper into the alternative media in an attempt to explain why I had this feeling that something was incredibly wrong. I became convinced that we are long past due for an economic collapse that will far surpass what occurred during the Great Depression. We were living in Hawaii at this time, and I knew that any disruption to shipping services would result in massive food shortages (and chaos) in a very short amount of time. I knew it was time to relocate.

I dragged my family to American Redoubt just under four years ago. The spring we arrived in our new home in Idaho I immediately began to teach myself everything possible about growing food in our new environment. To say there was a learning curve is an understatement. Like most Americans, I had never grown any of my own food. As I look back, I realize just how vulnerable my family and I were, being completely dependent upon a rapidly disintegrating system.

Brrrrrrrrrrr….

The biggest challenge to growing in this region, just like many other northern locations, is the short growing season. My current location is a located in a USDA hardiness zone 6b. Hardiness Zones in the majority of the American Redoubt range from around Zone 7a (the warmest, longest growing season) to 3a (the coldest, shortest growing season).

Season-extending solutions, like raised beds, plastic-covered grow tunnels, and materials (black plastic tarps and clear greenhouse plastic) placed directly on the soil to warm it sooner, can be used to lengthen the amount of time you can grow during relatively cold seasons. There are also seeds, many of which originated in Russia, Canada, Alaska, or other extreme northern climates, that are specifically bred for short growing seasons. I always look for these varieties, because I figure if they will grow in the aforementioned harsh climates then they should thrive in my climate.

One of the most important things about growing food in a short-season environment is food preservation. This will be absolutely necessary for food independence in a long-term survival scenario. I am currently using a homemade solar food dehydrator with Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers to preserve our excess produce. Of course, old-fashioned canning techniques are also a great way to preserve enough food for the region’s long, cold winters.

Where to Begin

Organic and heirloom varieties will produce seeds that you can preserve for future crops, unlike some of the bio-engineered hybrids. Also, the crops I have chosen can be grown and harvested in an off-grid situation. Although I would love to grow fields of wheat, I assume that we will not have access to a tractor in any number of scenarios.

Potatoes

I love potatoes. They grow like weeds with very little maintenance. I have had the most success with Russet, although Yukon Gold and the red Sangria have also done well. Of course, storage of this great food source is key, but if saved properly you will have well-acclimated seed potato for the following season’s crop. I also know I can grow potatoes during all seasons except the winter. This is an essential food source in a TEOTWAWKI situation that will store well and provide much-needed calories.

In many parts of the American Redoubt, if you start them early enough in the spring, you should be able to grow two crops of potatoes by the time the ground freezes in late fall. You will know when you can start the first crop by using a soil thermometer. The soil temperature should be no less than 50 degrees F. You can pick smaller potatoes throughout the season by feeling under the plant. You will know the plant is mature once it starts to brown and die off. Leave the potatoes for a few weeks after the plants die off to get the skins thicker for storage in a root cellar or basement.

Sweet Potatoes?

Yes, it is possible. Growing sweet potatoes in a plant hardiness zone 5 or 6 is not easy, but this nutrient-dense food source is worth the hassle. The key to success is warm soil and protecting them from frost. I have grown them in black collapsible grow buckets in an unheated greenhouse in the summer, as well as unheated plastic-covered tunnels placed over raised beds. They are very cold sensitive, so I tend to plant them the first week of June. They love compost, so pile it on. I have had success with shorter-season varieties, like Beauregard and Georgia Jet.

More Zucchini and Squash, Please

It must be something in the soil, but the zucchini and squash grow faster here than any other vegetable. They also mature very early in the season. We pick many pounds of zucchini and yellow squash each week from just three plants. Acorn and Butternut squash also grow well here, although these plants tend to take longer to mature. The zucchini and yellow squash dehydrate very easily, even in my homemade solar dehydrator. Butternut squash, if properly cured, will last months in a root cellar or basement.

Tomatoes and Cucumbers

I have tried over twenty varieties of tomatoes in order to discover the best cold-tolerant varieties for my growing region. I have had great luck with the Black Prince, a cold-weather Russian variety. I like Glacier, also a smallish variety that can be started very early in the season. For the bigger tomatoes, I like the Oregon Spring and Manitoba, for their short-season growing and dependability. I also intertwine cucumbers with my tomatoes, because they also thrive when growing up a simple A-frame trellis.

This year I have also added tomatoes that dehydrate well. These include Mountain Magic and the Matthew Tomato varieties. Tomatoes will grow here from late spring (unprotected) until early fall, so there is quite a long period of time that tomatoes can be grown without a well-heated (and energy-sucking) greenhouse.

Watermelons and Cantaloupe

These are not usually high on the survivor crop list, but if you have the space to grow watermelons and cantaloupe they might be an unusual barter item or a great way for your family to fight food fatigue. The Blacktail Mountain Watermelon was developed in this region and thrives even in our colder night temperatures. The smaller Sugar Baby Watermelon matures in 80 days, so they are not too much of a problem, if you start the plants in spring and transplant them in the early summer. The Minnesota Midget Melon is a cantaloupe that matures very quickly, but once again this melon will do better if you start it in a heated greenhouse mid-spring and then transplant in early summer.

Grains

This year we are also growing amaranth and quinoa, to see how they perform as grains in our climate. Quinoa can be cooked or ground into flour, so it has big implications for food independence. The catch is that this crop can take up to 120 days to mature, but since it can be planted when the soil reaches 50 degrees Fahrenheit, this can be grown throughout a large portion of the American Redoubt. Amaranth is a brightly colored plant that produces seeds that are high in protein and nutrients that can be cooked like rice or popped like popcorn. This plant shouldn’t be planted until the soil temperature is at least 65 degrees, most likely late spring. Don’t expect these plants to be ready to harvest until fall, since they take at least 100 days to mature.

I have had mixed success growing corn in this region, especially sweet corn. The catch with corn is that each plant only provides a very limited amount of food. Depending on how much area you have to grow, you might not find corn to be worth the space it will need to provide high enough yields. I have had more challenges with diseases and pests in corn than any of the other crops I mention. That said, this can be an important source of food in a SHTF scenario, so working out the bugs (literally) now will help in your efforts toward long-term food preparedness.

Beans

How prepared could we be without the “B” for beans? My experiments with black, pinto, red kidney, and garbanzo beans have all met with relative success. The black and pinto beans are by far the most productive in my climate and soil conditions. These plants grow quickly and produce surprisingly high yields. The red kidney beans produce but not in the volume of the black and pinto beans. The garbanzo only produce minimally and are probably not worth the effort when you can get far more beans from the other varieties.

These beans preserve for about a year in a jar with a tight lid, if they are kept out of the light.

Berries

Strawberries grow very well in our plant hardiness zone. For a continuous supply, we have everbearing varieties, which produce an early season and late season crop, and a mid-season variety. Blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries are very productive in our area and are perfect preservation food when made into jam.

Apples, Peaches, and Pears

What long-term survival plan would be complete without some fruit trees? The variety of tree will be very dependent on your climate zone, so it is best to seek out a reputable nursery in your area. We have chosen dwarf varieties, because they provide fruit sooner and are smaller and thus easier to harvest. If you do decide to plant trees, it is best to do so immediately, given that these trees take years to produce fruit. (Our dwarf McIntosh apple tree we planted three years ago is just now producing apples.)

Cold-weather Sustenance

Cold-weather vegetables are perhaps the easiest to grow throughout much of the American Redoubt. You should be able to grow many varieties of these crops throughout a large part of the year, especially if you employ season-extending techniques when it gets colder. These vegetables benefit tremendously with the raised boxes, row covers over the actual crops, and hoops attached to the boxes covered by thick (6 mil) greenhouse plastic film. This should keep the soil temperature raised much higher than outside the tunnel, prevent the soil from freezing, and protect from frost damage for a large part of the fall and some of the winter.

Since most people in the American Redoubt can easily grow cold-weather crops, many varieties of these plants should prove successful. I have tried many types of swiss chard, spinach, lettuce, kale, beets, sugar snap peas, and carrots and have not noticed a significant difference as to their growth patterns given that they thrive in cooler weather. The only exception I will mention is the Vitamin-C and extremely cold-tolerant Miner’s Lettuce. This strange-looking, but fast-growing plant will help prevent scurvy at a time when good nutrition may be hard to attain.

Survivalist-specific Crops

The following are what I call my survivalist-specific plants. These plants, if you can keep them alive in a SHTF scenario, can give you an advantage over others.

There is a specific type of sunflower that when pressed (with our manual press, just in case we are off grid) produces sunflower oil for cooking and barter. The Oilseed Sunflower can be planted after your last frost date, which in our area is late spring. These plants grow well and require almost no attention except for proper weed control and some sort of support when the plant heads get too big. When mature, collect the seeds, dry, and then process them through an oil extractor. Cooking oil is a high-demand item in places that are experiencing shortages from deteriorating economic conditions, like Venezuela and Argentina.

The Moringa tree will not survive the winters in most of the American Redoubt. That is why I have my plants in pots that I place outside in the late summer/spring and move inside in the fall. This is one of those plants that you have to really want, because it does require some attention. Why do I keep these high-maintenance trees? Moringa trees offer some great advantages. The seeds of the tree can be used as part of your off-grid water filtration process. The leaves can be eaten and have extremely high levels of protein, vitamins A and C, potassium, and calcium. The pods can be cooked as well.

The Trinidad Scorpion pepper is one of the hottest in the world. Why would we need this in a SHTF scenario? I am growing it now as a deterrent to combat my garden’s unrelenting pests. Growing without pesticides does mean using nature to battle nature. I have a problem with pocket gophers and moles, and I have found a mix of dish soap and powdered cayenne pepper sprayed around their holes to be an effective way to control these greedy little guys. Unfortunately, I don’t think cayenne pepper is strong enough, so I am experimenting with the Trinidad pepper as a much more powerful deterrent against both the smaller and larger (deer) pests.

Medicinal Plants

In a truly long-term survival scenario, it is highly unlikely that we will have access to quality medical care. While it may be possible to forage for medicinal plants, why not grow them? After extensive research on medicinal plants in my area, I was somewhat surprised once I realized that I could grow many of the natural medicine we would need.

Many of these plants are native, or can adapted to many of the plant hardiness zones throughout the Redoubt. Of course you will have to learn how to make the teas, poultices, compresses, tinctures, salves, et cetera, but there are many excellent books that can provide the basics one would need. Some of the more common plants that have medicinal properties are garlic, dandelion, lavender, and chamomile.

The climate in many parts of the American Redoubt can also support the growth of other medicinal plants including comfrey, mullein, nettle, plantain, valerian, peppermint, chickweed, yarrow, and elderberry.

When There Are No Fertilizers Or Pesticides

There is a good chance, in a SHTF scenario, that fertilizers and pesticides will be unavailable. That means we will be growing our food au naturel. This is why adopting natural and organic farming practices is essential.

I learned early in my mini-farming experience why the key tenant of organic agriculture is maintaining the health of the soil. I like to think of the soil as one huge energy outlet. The plants plug their roots into the soil and suck out the nutrients to produce crops. But in order to keep getting healthy, highly productive food, the soil needs to be replenished. Otherwise, each year your plants will be less and less productive.

Crop Rotation

Crop rotation is simply rotating crops to different areas in your garden or farm. This is done for many reasons, but it primarily helps dissuade plant diseases and pests from growing accustomed to one area.

Cover Crops

You can help to get all of those healthy nutrients back into the soil by planting cover crops. These specific crops are planted after you remove your plants from the garden at the end of the season. Cover crops replace those nutrients back into the soil while also helping to prevent the erosion that would occur when your fields would otherwise remain empty over the winter. In most parts of the American Redoubt, these crops will die off in the winter, leaving you with a lush layer of dead plant matter in the spring.

Importance of Compost

Compost is another important element required to maintain soil health. This decomposed matter boosts the nutrients and beneficial microbes in your soil, even further enhancing your output.

Putting It All Together

There is no better time to learn how to grow at least some food. If you plan on growing your own food in a SHTF scenario, please get enough non-hybrid, non-GMO seeds now. There is a very good chance that they will be unavailable in a crisis. Pay attention to the expiration dates on the packets, but realize that if stored in a cool, dry location those seeds will last much longer than their expiration suggests. Just remember that the longer from expiration date, the less seeds will germinate, so you will need more seeds to grow fewer plants.

You may want to start slowly, because taking on too much too soon can quickly become overwhelming. The feeling of making an entire meal from your own garden is both empowering and humbling, knowing that we are all capable but few choose to grow their own food. As a survivalist, you will sleep better knowing that you have this essential skill that could save your family in times of future turmoil.

Letter Re: How to Obtain Your Amateur Radio License, by N.M.

Hello,

I recently read author N.M’s article regarding how to obtain an Amateur Radio license. The article was well-written and provided a wealth of information for prospective Hams. I have been a licensed Amateur Radio operator since the early 1990s and have seen a lot of changes in the hobby. Some were good and some not so good, but that is a discussion better left to a lazy chair and a pot of coffee. The reason I am writing is I noticed something that is potentially problematic in N.M’s article. When discussing what radio to select, N.M. mentions the Yaesu FT-8900r, which operates on the 10m/6m/2m/70cm amateur radio bands. While this would indeed be a good radio for a newly-licensed technician, it should be noted that technician class operators would not be allowed to legally use this radio on the 10m band. While technician class operators do indeed have privileges from 28.000 MHz to 28.500 MHz (voice privileges are from 28.300 MHz to 28.500 MHz), the authorized voice mode is SSB phone. The Yaesu FT-8900r is an FM only rig, and, as such, does not utilize the required mode of single sideband (SSB). Using the FM transmit mode on those frequencies could, at least, alienate you from other Ham operators and, at worst, get you a nasty letter from the FCC. – J.D.

News From The American Redoubt:

‘It’s unrelenting’: inside the Washington town surrounded by raging wildfires

o o o

Video: At Least 24 Homes Destroyed in Washington Wildfire

o o o

Northern Idaho Wildfire Update

o o o

Video: Western wildfires continue to spread destruction

o o o

Wilder Idaho school forces student to remove Confederate flag from truck Calls it a “gang” logo – RBS

o o o

Idaho ammo company is in the business of downing drones – RBS

Economics and Investing:

Global Trade In Freefall: Container Freight Rates From Asia To Europe Crash 60% In Three Weeks – GJM

o o o

10 Reasons Why The Market Carnage Is Far From Over

o o o

Items from Mr. Econocobas:

Why The Bear Of 2015 Is Different From The Bear Of 2008

Making Sense Of The Sudden Market Plunge

Households See 1.8 Trillion of Wealth Vanish

Stock Up on Canned Goods and Bottle Water- Fmr Advisor to Gordon Brown Advises – This is interesting just given the source..

Odds ‘n Sods:

Beware, your lock screen passcode probably isn’t very secure: 75% of us start secret patterns from a corner, study reveals – JBG

o o o

Uniformed Officer Booted From Chuck E Cheese Over Duty Handgun – D.S.

o o o

Disconnected is the new security feature: How hyperconnectivity is dangerous to human civilization – D.S.

o o o

Now THAT is real survival: Nurse sets own broken legs while trapped in car after crash – T.P.
“I noticed my feet were real broken,” she said. “They were twisted to the side. My little nurse brain was like, you’ve got to straighten those up because you’re going to…lose your blood supply and then you’re going to lose your legs. I just prayed for a while and so I then picked them up and I moved them. It was really painful but I did it.”

o o o

ZeroGov is launching a new book: A Vision for an Unshackled Humanity: Volume II is a compilation of essays from 2012-2015. By the way, it was launched on August 24 in honor of William Wilberforce who was born on that day.

o o o

The latest from over at the “Thoughts from Frank and Fern” blog: Daddy, I’m Hungry…

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Powerful government tends to draw into it people with bloated egos, people who think they know more than everyone else and have little hesitance in coercing their fellow man. Or as Nobel Laureate Friedrich Hayek said, ‘in government, the scum rises to the top’.” – Walter E. Williams

Notes for Monday – August 24, 2015

On August 24th, 410, Rome was overrun by the Visigoths in an event that symbolized the fall of the Western Roman Empire. This is a moment in history that we would do well to remember. An empire that ruled the world was corrupted from the inside to the point that they could not defend themselves from a much weaker enemy. This could conceivably be the beginning of the dark middle ages.

Scot’s Product Review: Burris 2-7xx32mm Handgun Scope on the Mexican Mauser

I have long been a fan of Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper and his Scout rifle concept. It’s not the best tool for every application of the rifle, but his idea was to create a general purpose answer to the problem of striking a decisive blow on an animal up to 200 kilograms (440 pounds) at any distance the shooter could place a bullet into the vitals of said animal. He further specified that it should be handy and defined it as being one meter (about 40 inches) long and three kilograms (a bit less than seven pounds) in weight unloaded but including sling and sights. Cooper apparently liked round numbers and metric measurements.

The .308 Winchester round, which is very common and compact enough to allow for a shorter and lighter rifle, is sufficiently powerful to meet Cooper’s standard. There are, of course, plenty of other cartridges that will do the trick, but .308 would be a first choice should one have options.

He also specified the bolt action as best suited to the concept. It is light, simple, and strong, and for his purposes a high rate of fire is unnecessary. A practiced rifleman can run a bolt quickly enough for a follow shot on game.

Besides hunting, Cooper felt the rifle would do well in self-defense and would be a good tool for the military scout, though many of us would pick a semi-auto for those roles. That said the Scout rifle could do the job in most cases.

Cooper argued the primary sighting system should be a fixed, low-powered scope forward mounted on the rifle ahead of the action. This goes against convention. Most of us like lots of magnification and variable power scopes, which we usually leave set on maximum. We usually mount them directly over the action. Cooper didn’t trust variable power scopes, having seen a number fail in his career. He passed away in 2006 at the age of 86, however, and missed experiencing many of the advances in optics over the last decade that have led most of us to think that reliable variable power scopes have arrived.

His preferred location of the scope, forward of the action, has great merit. Getting the scope forward allows easier access to the magazine for topping off the rifle and keeps the scope far from vulnerable foreheads. Most importantly, since the scope is farther from your eyes, it doesn’t block your view, which tremendously improves situational awareness– a valuable capability in hunting or self-defense. As a left-hander, I find it also helps me when I try to run a right-handed bolt rifle. The scope over the action makes it hard to reach over the rifle to work the bolt. If you ever get a chance to watch the movie Saving Private Ryan, make note of the American sharpshooter, who was left-handed, and of the extra effort he had to apply to work the action of his Springfield.

A problem with this mount, however, is that it limits the magnification we all love. Since the scope is further away, it is harder to get the eye directly behind it, and the more magnification we have, the more difficult it is to stay centered with it. Cooper felt that any more than 3 power scopes would not work. I’ve found that to be the case with my eyes. The low magnification does have the advantage of allowing us to keep both eyes open, which also helps our awareness. Lower power also minimizes the tremors we all have when shooting off-hand. A rule of thumb I had beaten into me was that 4x was about as much as most of us can handle, and it is certainly true for me. This applies to conventionally mounted scopes as well as forward mounted one.

While Cooper felt 3 power scopes were sufficiently powerful, I know I am not alone in sometimes wishing for more, which is the reason for this review. I do a fair amount of testing from the bench and get better groups with more magnification than I have with any of my fixed power Scout scopes. When working from a bench, you can take the time to get behind a scope, and paper targets on the range don’t require a high level of situational awareness. I was therefore interested when I spotted some variable power Scout scopes on the market. I feared, however, that the rifle I wanted to put it on, the 7x57mm Mexican Mauser I’ve written about before, might not work with them. The scope mount on the old Mauser is an S&K that sits where the original rear sight was mounted. The specs on these scopes indicated that the eye relief might require them to sit farther back than this mount allows. Pistol scopes, however, offer more eye relief, and since I had tried a 2x handgun scope on a Garand with good results, I asked Burris if I could borrow one of their 2-7x28mm Handgun scopes, and they were nice enough to oblige.

The scope has a 1-inch diameter tube and weighs 13 ounces. At its largest point, it is 39mm, or slightly more than 1.5 inches in diameter. It is 9.7 inches long. So overall, it is a pretty compact package and just a bit larger than a typical fixed power Scout scope, though it is six ounces heavier, which is enough to notice.

You get a choice of a ballistic or plain duplex style reticle. The ballistic has little dots on it for holdover or windage. I’m a simple sort and asked for the plain one. I don’t see this as a long range rifle, and it can be zeroed so you can hold dead on out to 250 yards or so, which in my view is a long shot for hunting in the southeast.

The field of view is 21 feet at low power and seven feet at high power at 100 yards. This is narrower than I would like, as a large field of view helps with situational awareness, but since it will primarily be used with both eyes open on low power and you can see around a Scout scope so easily, it is not the problem it would be on a scope that’s mounted close to your eye.

It offers plenty of adjustments for zeroing, 64 inches in both elevation and windage at 100 yards. Each click moves the shot ¼ inch at 100 yards. Eye relief is from 11-21 inches on low power and 10-14 inches on high power.

The finish is matte black, but you can get it in nickel if you like. The MSRP ranges from $419 to $455, depending on finish. The model I had can be found on Amazon for $349, a tidy discount if your budget is like mine.

The scope was mounted on the rifle using the S&K scope mount I reviewed last November. I wish they made this mount in a version for Weaver rings, as it would make it easier to remove the scope if necessary. The one that fits my rifle, however, only comes in a version that uses S&K rings. These are more attractive than Weaver rings and may even work better, but they require Allen wrenches to remove, while Weavers can be removed with a coin or knife blade. For a field use rifle, that’s a good thing. I used a kit from Midway with alignment tools to ensure the rings were properly set and then lapped them so there would be no strain placed on the scope by misaligned rings. A torque wrench got everything snug enough but not too snug.

I actually found there was more eye relief than I needed, and I had to mount the scope as far forward as possible. That surprised me a bit, and it means I probably could have used the Scout version of the scope just as well as the pistol one. I live and learn, but it did work out, which is the important thing.

It was then off to the range to zero. Proof that everything was lined up well is that it was on the paper with the first shot and less than 10 clicks were needed to center the group at 50 yards. The adjustments were consistent and repeatable and moved bullet impact precisely as they should.

Since the range I was using only went to 100 yards and I wanted a 200 yard zero, I used Shoot! , a $40 ballistics software application to compute that the group should be 2¼ inches high at 100 yards, and I futzed with it to get it there. I still need to go to an outdoor range and confirm that it is right at 200 yards. Software simulates and saves time, but we need reality if we are going to use a rifle on game or for self-defense.

The 200 yard zero, by the way, should keep me within four inches of my point of aim out to 250 yards. This is with the 139 grain Privi Partizan load, which is the only one I have been able to find at reasonable cost lately. Truthfully, I would be very unwilling to shoot that far unless I had a lot of time and a solid rest and position. If I combine my abilities with this rifle, I think I would be stretching to go beyond 200 yards in most cases. Serious hunger would, of course, alter that equation.

The scope is bright and clear. With a 32mm diameter objective, it is passing as much light through to the eye as the average young person can make use of at 4.5x magnification and as much as middle-aged and older people can typically use at 6.5x magnification. I discussed seeing through optics in the dark in a binocular review recently should you want more information on the subject. The basic idea, though, is that the more magnification you have, the larger the objective needs to be. There are limits to how much the human eye can take advantage of, and this scope strikes an excellent compromise on letting you see when it’s dark vs. the gain in size and weight larger objectives demand.

My biggest curiosity was how more magnification would turn out using a Scout scope. I think that Colonel Cooper pretty well nailed it. If I go more than 3x in magnification, it gets hard to use the scope off-hand. I start having to squint or close my offside eye and really focus on the scope to see through it. That defeats the goal, which is to have greater awareness of everything else around you and to be able to follow a moving target easily. I’m happiest at around 2.5x, but I can still keep both eyes open and see both through and around the scope at 3x. As magnification increases beyond 3x, it gets harder and harder; someplace past 4x, I lose the awareness that this is all about.

On the other hand, working on the bench, the extra magnification is very welcome. I could see many field situations where it would also be useful, shooting prone, for example. Despite the Colonel’s reservations, I think the variable power scope is worth it, thanks to the improvements in modern optics that he didn’t get to experience. Overall, this test confirmed what I suspected, that one could take advantage of more magnification with a Scout scope under some circumstances, and I found no negatives, other than weight and cost, in going to a variable power scope.

– SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor, Scot Frank Eire