Notes for Wednesday – January 14, 2015

Today, we present another entry for Round 56 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three 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 then 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 30 DPMS AR-15 .223/5.56 30 Round Gray Mil Spec w/ Magpul Follower Magazines (a value of $448.95) 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 $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear,
  7. A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value),
  8. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  9. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  10. 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,
  11. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate, and
  12. 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. Acorn Supplies is donating a Deluxe Food Storage Survival Kit with a retail value of $350,
  4. The Ark Instituteis 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,
  5. $300 worth of ammo from Patriot Firearms and Munitions. (They also offer a 10% discount for all SurvivalBlog readers with coupon code SVB10P),
  6. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  7. Twenty Five books, of the winners choice, of any books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  8. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate,
  9. Organized Prepper is providing a $500 gift certificate, and
  10. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

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,
  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 Y-Shot Slingshot and a Locking Rifle Rack (a $379 value).

Round 56 ends on January 31st, 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.

Brewing Up Business After TEOTWAWKI, by K.M.

(Preface by HJL: SurvivalBlog neither condones nor condemns alcohol consumption. However, we stand by a biblical perspective that takes a strong stance against drunkenness. There are serious issues that must be weighed in regards to alcohol consumption and commerce, and each reader should measure them carefully to know whether home brewing is for you or not.)

“People are going to want to escape from reality and history has shown that alcohol is the escape of choice.” I don’t know how many times I have seen this exact quote in prepping manuals, on survival sites, and included in SHTF barter item lists. Someone must have a copyright on this phrase and is making a pretty penny on it these days. Nevertheless, this phrase does speak the truth. Since that day, thousands of years ago, when someone lost a dare to drink a clay pot of fermented barley, alcohol became a form of payment and an easy way for the long-term storage of calories. In fact, historians believe that beer was so sought after as a potable food source that it was used as payment for labor in the fields from Mesopotamia to Egypt. However, there’s a problem with prepping philosophy regarding alcohol as bartering medium. When the oil stops flowing into the country, all supplies will eventual become extinguished. It will be a situation, once again, where niche markets will rule. People are going to have to find ways to fill those niche markets, and the supplying of hooch will be one of those markets. Stocking up on bottles of alcohol will work in the short term, but after a year of being cut off, which could easily take place, where will the supply come from to meet demand? This article is intended to provide a basic overview of how to become your community’s brewery after societal breakdown.

Here’s a little back ground information, before I get started. Ever since I took a chemistry class in college, I have been brewing my own beer and wines. The professor was a homebrewer and built many of the class lessons around brewing. I found them intoxicating (pun intended). My undergrad degree was in Biology, but I got my masters degree in Agricultural Science. At first, just brewing the hooch was fine, but soon I was growing many of the ingredients and experimenting with unusual recipes. It became a passion to the point where people see my basement and think I’m up to no good with all the copper tubing and buckets everywhere.

The first thing to mention is that making a palatable product takes some practice. Actually, I often tell many of my friends, as we drink a cold one, that a beer is science in a glass. It takes some knowledge to understand what is taking place in a fermenter and how it all comes together. Thus, like all worthwhile skills, you have to practice it to get better. You have to brew. Don’t think you can get all of the equipment for brewing and start this endeavor after everything goes to hell in a hand basket. You should start small and start tomorrow. You can find starter kits online for around $100, and as far as that goes most people have the necessary equipment in their kitchen to make a one-gallon batch of homebrew.

That being said, what is needed to set up business? I’m going to break this down into a few different topics.

What Should You Make

First off, when I refer to hooch, I’m speaking of beer, mead/wine, hard cider, or distilled spirits. All of these will be commodities that will have value after societal collapse. When determining what you would like to produce, take into account your location, the amount of land you have control over, and your available labor force. As an example, if you are a married couple with no children and you have a large garden and an orchard but do not own many acres of farmable land, I would recommend managing a beehive and brewing mead and cider. The reason being is that barley requires lots of land in order to have abundant product, and the bees will increase your harvest in your orchard and garden. Alternatively, if you have a large family with lots of farmable land in a relative dry area, I would go with beer and mead. The reason for this choice is that barley needs little rain to produce a crop, but it takes a lot of labor to make a final product. Bees are rather simple to keep, and they do all the work as long as you have enough foraging area for them. Everyone should keep bees. Remember that all fermented products can be distilled into spirits. All distilling is the process of removing some of the excess water from a fermented beverage. So, a distillery should be incorporated into every scenario.

As a gardener, I am big on diversity. I try to plant multiple types of produce, because from year to year one thing will do well while others will not. As a brewer, I think it’s a good idea to do the same thing. Have the knowledge to brew anything but know what is most likely to be abundant in your region. There could come a time where a bumper crop of apples happens in your area and you could get them cheap (even though you have no apple trees). Turning them in hooch would be wonderful, but you need to have the experience and knowledge to make it happen. So experiment now, so that you will have the knowledge later.

Your Base Ingredients

Water is the essential of all life on our planet. The same holds true for brewing. You must have a reliable, clean water supply. Beer and mead are basically 90% water, and water is needed to sanitize your equipment, so make sure you have a solid water supply. I remember when I bought my home, I told the realtor to not even show me a house that does not have well water. Well water is great for brewing, because it is usually high in calcium and/or magnesium. These elements provide binding agents for the flavor and bitterness added to a brew. In a societal breakdown scenario, do not depend on the grid to be functioning. Either invest in renewable energy system to power your pump or purchase a FloJak Earthstraw. If you have a natural spring on the property, that would also provide a great source of brewing water, but I would hedge my bets with a nice well set up.

Everything starts with sugar when it comes to brewing, and after the SHTF you are going to have to grow those sugars yourself or barter for the ingredients. Knowing how much you need to make your products is going to be essential.

Let’s start with everyone’s favorite or at least my favorite– Beer. As I stated earlier, growing barley is rather simple. Humans have been doing it for over 12,000 years, and many people attribute beer as the reason why barley became so popular. I’m guessing bread had a bigger deal to do with its popularity, but this is not a pissing contest (pun intended). Barley is drought tolerant, easy to store, and can be used to also produce bread, which I have already mentioned is one of the oldest food staples on the planet.

It takes around five to seven pounds of barley seed to plant a 800 square foot plot, and that will produce about a bushel of grain. A bushel to grain weighs about 47 pounds, and that is enough barley after it is malted to produce about four 5-gallon batches of brew. Five gallons of brew will fill about two cases of 12 ounces bottles (48 beers). So that comes out to about 200 beers per 800 square foot of barley. One fourth of an acre is 10,890 square feet so that would produce just over 2,700 twelve-ounce beers. Calculate accordingly, but remember you need to reserve enough seed for the following year’s planting. Don’t forget that harvesting, malting, and brewing beer is very labor intensive. Before I move on, there is one more thing– grow hops. They are extremely hardy. They only need a good helping of composted manure each year, water, and a structure to climb. If you provide the plant with these needs, they will produce for you for years to come.

The next place you can get sugars is honey. Honey is a wonderful product. It has a shelf life that is forever. Honey has been eaten that was discovered in the pyramids. I love honey and always have a nice supply on hand. At this point, I must repeat my suggestion that you keep bees. You will never regret it. Pure honey can be traded, but mead will have tremendous value also.

A first-year hive will produce between 50 to 100 pounds of honey, but remember that in northern climates the bees need honey to survive the winter. Above the Mason-Dixon line, count on at least 80 pounds for the bees to survive. Established hives can generate upwards to 300 pounds of honey. That is a lot of sugar. Semi-dry mead needs about 15 pounds of honey for a five-gallon batch. Five gallons of mead will fill around 25 standard wine bottles. So if you subtract the 80 pounds, required for the bees to survive winter, you get 220 pounds of honey, which will produce roughly 350 bottles of mead.

Making hard cider is easy, but getting to the cider part is a lot of work. However, it can be well worth the effort. One hundred pounds of apples (depended on the apple) will make about five gallons of cider. From there, all you need to do is filter the cider and ferment the batch. I mix in a little honey with the cider to raise the alcohol level to up to 7%. About two pounds per three gallons of cider works well. Once fermented you could applejack the cider. This is a low-infrastructure way of raising the alcohol by volume of a cider. Set the fermented cider out in sub-freezing weather with a cloth covering the cider. Remove the ice that forms on the top periodically. This removes the water, in a reverse method to evaporation distillation, raising the alcohol level from 7% to 30-40% by volume.

Another source of sugar is grapes. Wine making is over 7,000 years old and has spread to most regions of the globe. You are going to need between 80-100 pounds of grapes to make five gallons of juice, which wine makers call “must”. The sugar content is going to depend on the type of grape, the regional climate, and the weather of that year. So you might need to add sugars before fermenting the must. Five gallons of fermenting juice will fill between 23 to 27 typical wine bottles. It all depends on the amount of water the sediment absorbs. Grapes vines are hardy, but you need to know the basics on pruning for good production. Properly pruned grape vines can produce hundreds of pounds of grapes. Learn this stuff now, not later.

There are other places to obtain sugars– sugar beets and cane, sorghum, and maple sap. All three can be grown or harvested, then processed, and turned into fermented beverages. Even out West, sugars can be harvested on a certain Eucalyptus trees. They are called sugar lerps, and it’s a sugary substance produced by a tiny insect called psyllid. I have even extracted sugars from fast-growing plants, like Stinging Nettles, and fermented them into alcoholic beverages. You just need to know your area and the procedures to obtain these sugars. Start this process of gathering regional knowledge yesterday.

Miscellaneous Needs

This section is intended to provide you with the necessary knowledge of what equipment you are going to need before production lines breakdown. You have to remember that many things in our society are dependent of machines to produce them. You can grow and harvest sugars, but some things are just out of reach when it comes to a society with no stable electric grid. The good thing is that right now many of these things produced by machines can be purchased for cheap and will store nearly indefinitely.

Bottle capsare punched out by machines at massive rates, so purchase them now. (You’ll need a capper, too, to put the caps on the bottles.) Whenever I order supplies from a distributor, I always purchase a couple of gross (144) of bottle caps. It cost me a few pennies per cap, but they will last for years. Corks are another product that does not cost much and are nice to have lying around. I like to collect self-sealing bottles. The plus is that you can carbonate or store a beverage without a bottle cap or a cork; the minus is that the gasket sooner or later rots away, and they are nearly impossible to replace. Still, I would recommend you keep your eye out for these bottles and then stocking up whenever you can find them for a good price.

The second product I would recommend putting away is yeast. There is no alcohol without this sugar eater and yeast can be bought cheap right now. You can buy many different dehydrated yeast varieties nowadays, and they can be stored in a cool basement or root cellar for a few years. If you are one of the few with a functioning fridge after a collapse, that will double the viability of the dry yeast packets. You can learn to reuse your yeast from one batch of hooch to another, but stocking up right now is a good idea because these dry yeast packets are just so cheap.

Sanitation is key for producing a good product. Bacteria are the enemy, and you have to have a way to deal with them. There are numerous products you can purchase to sanitize your equipment, but knowing all your options in this case are vital. Most preppers know the importance to bleach in sterilizing water. This product also works well for sanitizing equipment. Use a tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water, soak the equipment in this bleach-water solution for twenty minutes, then allow it to air dry. Also, iodine can also be used. Most preppers know iodine is used in medical procedures to cleanse a surface from contamination, but it can also be diluted to sanitize equipment at the same ratio as bleach to water. Purchasing extra oxidizers is also another possible to keeping your equipment free from lactobacillus contamination. Boiling water is the final option, but that is a lot of boiling water to sterilize all of your equipment every time you brew. It’s nice to have options.

Another industry that will suffer after societal collapse is the chemical and preservative industries. There is just no use for these businesses when regions adopt a local mindset and the needed energy for production ceases to exist. There are a few additives that are mass produced in these industries that are nice to have around and that store easily.

Campden tablets are a sulfur-based product that is used primarily in wine and cider making to kill bacteria and to inhibit the growth of most wild yeast. You can purchase 100 tablets for four dollars rights now. One tablet per five gallons of brew does the job of killing off all wild bacteria and yeast present in the concoction. Store them in a sealed container in a cool dry place, and they will last quite a while.

The second chemical to stock up on is pectin enzyme or pectinase. Many times, when you brew with solid vegetable or fruit ingredients, you have an abundance of pectin. A few teaspoons per five gallons will help eliminate this problem. It’s inexpensive– one pound for about ten bucks– and will last forever. Stock up on it.

Besides these recommendations, I would suggest purchasing extra bottle cappers, hoses, brewing kettles, thermometers, and food-grade buckets. It is always nice to have a back up to your back up, but invention is the mother of necessity. I think you will find that once you have a basic understanding of the brewing process, you can make due with minimal equipment or adjust to what you have on hand. As far as beer bottles, I would not worry too much on stocking up on them, but I will discuss this in more detail in the next section. The last thing I will mention in this section is do not forget about hand-operated grain mills and apple presses. They will be worth their weight in silver when the SHTF.

Selling and Trading Your Products

So what are your best options to selling your product and how much should you charge? The first thing is to mention you want to establish multiple ways to receive income for your abilities. Some farmers might have an abundance of a sugar crop. Offer them the opportunity to produce a fermented product for a percentage of the cut. As an example, to someone with an orchard that has lots of apples offer to process their produce for a percentage of the cut. A 50-50 swap is recommended. The farmer gets half, and you the other half. This compensates for your skill and labor, but it gives the supplier the incentive to produce more and do business with you again. Make sure the farmer knows that you want those bottles back after consumption of the product.

The rule of thumb, when dealing with alcohol content, is a pint of beer (16 ounces), a glass of wine (6 ounces), and a shot of distilled alcohol (1.5 ounces) all contain the same amount of alcohol per unit mass. You want to keep this in mind when negotiating a price per unit, because this would basically mean that a 750 ml bottle of distilled liquor would have the same monetary value as a case of beer when related to alcohol content.

That being said, it’s up to you to find out what your customers are willing to spend. This could fluctuate greatly, depending on the time of the year and region of the country. I would recommend that a set price in silver be offered per case of beer or bottle of hooch, but incorporate an extra silver dime or two for a return policy. Meaning that when the bottles are returned those silver dimes will be issued to the returner. That should take care of your bottle problem. When recapping beer bottles, do not use twist off bottles; they sometimes will not seal completely.

You will want to find a small trading post that will spring up in your region to do business or take orders. Holidays and marriages (summertime) will be your busy times of the year for taking orders. Plan accordingly. Remember that you can have a batch of beer ready to drink in a month; cider takes about two months; wines/meads take around one year for a finished product. If you are selling at a trading post, have different kinds of products, so customers will have a nice selection from which to choose.

I currently barter a lot with my bubbly beverages. I have traded for meat, honey, cheese, and fruits. Be open to trading, but also be willing to spend some silver on extra sugars and other needs, because in order to have a sound local economy, money needs to circulate.

Now some people are probably thinking they should just open a bar in their garage or barn and have the costumers come to you; then the bottle problem disappears. I would disagree with this. Everyone will be caring firearms, and I do not know about you, but I am not giving mine up at the door. Besides that, drunken people have a rough time finding their way home, and some are just not pleasant to be around. Trust me, I used to work at a beach bar in the Virgin Islands, which basically had no consist law enforcement. The bars got robbed often, and drunken people will not leave. Keep your business away from your home. So, in this case, an easy solution for distribution is not good for what ales you (pun intended).

In closing, niche markets will rule when the grid goes down. Finding your niche will be the key, and alcohol will never fall out of favor with the public. Besides the recreational release, other business opportunities can arise through brewing. These include biofuel production, medicinal antiseptics, and essential oils and soap making, just to name a few. Chemistry can lead you down the road to many endeavors. So get to brewing, and good luck out there.

Letter Re: College

Hi

I live in Utah. I am in my senior year of high school, and I have many choices ahead of me. I’ve been accepted to attend Utah State University to study ranch management. I am very happy about this, but I am worried if those four years of school should go toward prepping? I have been saving for most of my life and have enough money to get myself through school debt free. However, I could buy a small farm with that money and prep. What direction would you recommend for me to take? Thanks T.B.

Hugh replies: This is becoming more of an issue as the economic situation worsens. Only you can make the decision of what is right for your situation, but some ideas for you can be found in the past articles and letters of SurvivalBlog. In any case, college should only be considered when you have a clearly defined objective.

Odds ‘n Sods:

U.K. Prime Minister Wants to Ban Encrypted Messaging. – J.C.

o o o

Biometrics coming to a cash register near you… just check this out. – RBS

o o o

More from the country of “Men without chests” – Teenage boy finds shotguns and ‘15,000 bullets’ while playing with metal detector in wasteland near his home. – JBG

o o o

CNN’s Christiane Amanpour Calls Charlie Hebdo Terrorists “Activists”. – T.P.

o o o

SurvivalBlog reader S.D. let us know that many items needed for storage, later use, or even barter can be found on the end caps for 88 cents at Walmart. Items included 4oz Tussin, Mucous Relief, Triple Antibiotic ointment, 2 pack Chap Ice, Sleep Aid, Acetomeniphen, Ibuprophen, Anti Diarrea tabs, Muscle Rub, Pregnancy test kits, wrist-knee-and hand support wraps, aspirin, childrens 81mg aspirin, laxatives, enemas, band-aids, hydrocortisone cream, and many more items you will want to keep at home or in the car and especially for SHTF possible futures.

Notes for Tuesday – January 13, 2015

Today, we present another entry for Round 56 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three 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 then 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 30 DPMS AR-15 .223/5.56 30 Round Gray Mil Spec w/ Magpul Follower Magazines (a value of $448.95) 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 $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear,
  7. A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value),
  8. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  9. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  10. 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,
  11. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate, and
  12. 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. Acorn Supplies is donating a Deluxe Food Storage Survival Kit with a retail value of $350,
  4. The Ark Instituteis 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,
  5. $300 worth of ammo from Patriot Firearms and Munitions. (They also offer a 10% discount for all SurvivalBlog readers with coupon code SVB10P),
  6. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  7. Twenty Five books, of the winners choice, of any books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  8. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate,
  9. Organized Prepper is providing a $500 gift certificate, and
  10. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

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,
  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 Y-Shot Slingshot and a Locking Rifle Rack (a $379 value).

Round 56 ends on January 31st, 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.

How To Create a Home based Business for TEOTWAWKI, by TJ

I would love to never have to work for an employer ever again. I am 30 years into working for other people, with the exception of a total of five years during various time periods that I worked for myself as a consultant. I have run more than one small business from home over the years. Each time that I was working as a consultant, I loved making my own hours and answering only to myself, because I am far more demanding than any employer has ever been in regards to delivering excellence. The part about working for myself that I hated was the marketing/advertising, bookkeeping, and fighting for a work space at home. The part that I loved was the freedom to creatively problem solve without the interference of the corporate hierarchy and politics. The problem that I have is none of my skills are applicable in a “The End Of The World As We Know It” (TEOTWAWKI) scenario.

Working for yourself is a prime goal of survivalist-minded persons. I want to figure out how to live on the land and become as self-sufficient as possible. The skills I have are those learned in the high tech industry (and very much in demand), so I lack in the basic survival skills needed to “live on the land”. I’ve done a few things, mind you, like learned to grow an organic garden; perfected canning various fruits, vegetables, and meats; learned to cook from scratch, using healthy and organic foods; and learned to make soap and how to replace household cleaning and personal products with just a few simple supplies. I know how to sew and mend, and I can build a fire pretty well. I’ve revived the knowledge I learned from my parents and grandparents, in regards to frugality. I’ve spent years researching, so there’s a lot of knowledge crammed in my brain that might be useful, but there is not much hands-on experience. That’s all I’ve got, and I know it’s not near enough to survive without modern conveniences. I haven’t had the time to tackle much else around the demanding 60 hour per week job. I realize that in a SHTF scenario, I won’t have much to offer. I have reviewed various types of work that might be in demand when SHTF, but I just can’t see myself learning how to fix a tractor from spare auto parts. About the best I can offer is how to filter water from the stream to make it safe enough to drink. I guess that could be helpful, but I don’t want the simple title “Water Girl”. I want to be useful, self-sufficient, and in the position to help others.

I decided to get serious and make the move to self-sufficiency within a year or so. Part of that plan is to cash out and move to the Redoubt. I’m not going to take too big of a risk at first, so I will hang onto my job as long as is possible, until I am well established. I realize I am very fortunate in that I have a telecommute job where I work from home and use the computer and phone to do my work. I can work anywhere, as long as I can get to the Internet with reasonable response times. I even talked to my boss about the possibility of moving to another area and he said, “You can live wherever you want as long as you don’t ask for more money.” I had to laugh. No, I don’t want more money; I just want to live differently. My husband has agreed that we can move to the country, although he thinks I’m a little off my rocker. He’s retired, so where we live won’t matter to him, as long as the weather isn’t harsh and we are not too far from civilization, since he’s a rather social person. Got it. We are looking at areas that meet both our requirements.

Back to me now. What are my current skills that I could put to use in a TEOTWAWKI scenario, and what are skills that I could reasonably develop in a short period of time, if I put my mind to it? I’ve spent a lot of time reading about various types of businesses and skills that could be useful in becoming self-sufficient or for bartering. One of things I always did when managing folks is understand what their best attributes were and putting them in a position to succeed, rather than forcing him or her into a project or set of tasks they were not good at. Happy employees make for a successful business. I want to be a happy and fulfilled survivor, not a miserable, uninformed, aching loser. One of the questions I would ask employees, after sharing the goals of the corporation and of our department, is “What part of this would you enjoy doing?” Then I would listen. We would then discuss options for creating a job that would be most satisfying and discuss how to get accomplished the “dirty work”, because there are always things we have to do that we don’t like. I would do this with each team member. At the end of that process, I would get the team together and we would discuss openly what each person wanted to do, how the “dirty work” would be accomplished, and what was left over. It was very surprising and interesting to find that the collaboration was very high when each person felt they would be assigned to fulfilling work, and it was also interesting to find that each person was more than happy to assist one another with the “dirty work”. Not to say that my teams were always well adjusted and happy. There were occasional crisis to referee and very seldom, hard decisions to make when a team member just didn’t fit in or have applicable skills. Overall, success in management was made enjoyable by this strategy. I consider my management ability to be a strong skill, which could be applied to other scenarios.

Now that my husband and I are empty nesters, the team consists of the two of us. We have been able to hire help when we couldn’t do a particular task, and I can see that continuing if we play our cards right. We have a large family, and each person has different skills and interests. I have considered how each one could become a part of the team, and we’ve had a few discussions, should SHTF. For the most part, our grown children don’t feel the same earnestness that we do about getting out of Dodge, but I’ve noticed them following my example in becoming more self-sufficient. Several have developed skills in self-defense, homemaking, and stocking up. That’s a good start. I’ve told them about our plans and stressed that we will have a place for everyone. A few of them think I’m off my rocker, but for the most part I feel some admiration. As for my husband and myself, I have looked at what each of us loves to do and tried to figure out how we could turn that into a home-based business, if/when SHTF.

Some of the ideas that I’ve come up with are simple, and with a little assistance we could surely do them together. First, we must find the right location that is congruent with our skills and lack of them. We are looking for a medium-sized home in good condition on at least an acre of land that is already developed. This means the land has a good well and irrigation and is near a stream or lake. It must also be on septic that’s in good condition. The land must be well fenced, partially landscaped for lawn and gardening, fairly flat, on the outskirts of a small town, and within an hour or two of a major medical facility for health crisis and major shopping outlets for stocking up. It must also be in an area where the weather is not too harsh and there is plenty of sunshine for a long growing season. Since we aren’t handy people, we need the small town atmosphere in a mostly agricultural area so that we can hire the help we need. We have no delusions about our inabilities.

Once the location is decided, we know that we can raise chickens for eggs; that’s not hard to do. We are good with gardening. We realize that raising other animals for food would be out of our league. However, I did meet with a woman who had a similar background to me (an engineer), and she had successfully gardened, raised chickens, honey bees, and dwarf goats. She gave me a tour of her property (about an acre) and showed me how she accomplished each task. She learned to milk her goats, drink goat milk, and make cheese. She learned to breed and sell goats. She learned to develop several beehives and sells honey. I figured, if she could do it, so could I. Additionally, she still worked in her field of expertise. My husband thought raising goats was a smelly business, and he wasn’t willing to go in that direction. I thought I could graduate to raising chickens for meat after talking to a few friends who had done it, but that’s where I got stuck. What kind of business could I do should SHTF and I wasn’t able to work in my field?

Then it hit me. We have a love for German Shepherd dogs and have owned many over the years. Three of my friends are GSD breeders. Two of my friends specialize in the East German lines. These dogs are used in police work, search and rescue, and home protection. This could be something that I could do financially and physically; I could breed GSDs trained for home protection. You would be surprised how much work and money goes into these dogs, not to mention the training and certifications they must achieve. This is something that I could devote myself to and love it, and it would be useful and important in a SHTF scenario. A beautifully-trained and titled GSD is worth thousands upon thousands of dollars and could be sold or used for barter. One of the hardest things, I think, in breeding GSDs, is letting one of them go. You have to find the right buyer– someone who will give the dog respect and love as a family member deserves. These dogs are truly man’s best friend. They’re intelligent, responsive, powerful, loving, eager to please, and fiercely loyal. These dogs are bred for temperament and ability; they’re not something you would find at the local pound or on Craigslist. A good GSD is worth its weight in gold. The initial investment for breeding this type of dog is in the tens of thousands, and it takes years to develop a solid breeding program. My husband absolutely adores the dogs and is very capable of running the training aspect of their development. In fact, our GSDs follow him wherever he goes. This idea could work for both of us. I could start now and pray that S doesn’t HTF for a few years.

I gave you the above example because I believe that you can find something that you can do that would be a solid business on the home front in a SHTF scenario. It’s important to start now, so that whatever program or business you create has a chance for the kinks to work out. A friend recently having moved to the Redoubt, bought a few hundred acres and has decided to go into the lumber business, treeing the land and selling the trees. He has done the research and is developing the land now. His lifetime career gave him skills that he can use in a completely different kind of lifestyle. If you can identify your core skills and then start thinking about how you can apply them to a different type of business, you have a good chance at becoming successful. My skills assessment (what I’m good at) is project management, people management, creative problem solving, loving and understanding animals, food and cooking, and gardening. If I can apply my project and people management skills, along with my creative problem-solving skills to my love and understanding of animals, food, and gardening, then I can devise a way to run a home-based business, whether that’s raising chickens for meat, goats for milk and cheese, bees for honey, and/or breeding GSDs. Should the Internet survive a SHTF scenario, I can still apply my technical and professional skills in security and privacy, as much as is possible.

I think the trick in moving to a more self-sufficient lifestyle is to understand yourself first. Understand your partner or any other team member that will be involved. Understand what you can and can’t do. One of the biggest mistakes people do is wear rose-colored glasses when planning a retreat escape. Hey, if you can’t cut wood, you better figure out where you are going to get it from and if you can pay for it. If you can’t shovel through six feet of snow, don’t move where that’s necessary. If you aren’t good at home repairs, don’t buy a fixer upper. If the country life bores you silly, don’t fool yourself into believing you will fall in love with it. We shall see, but in the meantime I can put together the business plan for the breeding program and get it all on paper while we prepare for our move to the country.

Letter Re: What to do for a “scratched eye” (corneal abrasion)

Good morning:

I wonder if any survival blog readers would know what to have on hand as far as medication for a “scratched eye.” (corneal abrasion) We have had several of these over the years, and none of those have happened in a situation where you would have had “protective eyewear” on. I would hate to be without medication should this happen when SHTF. Any suggestions? Thanks, – MB

Cynthia J. Koelker, MD Responds: What if gritty dirt blows in your eyes? Or you scratch your cornea with a fingernail? Or you’re working under your car and debris falls in your face?

And what if afterward your eye won’t stop tearing, and is bothered by light, and hurts almost more than you can stand?

And what if there’s no doctor to help? Will you suffer permanent damage; will you go blind? How long can you stand the pain?

Corneal abrasions are common, and you need to know how to handle them and what to expect if and when you’re on your own.

The cornea overlies the iris (the colored part of the eye), and unlike the sclera (the white part of the eye), the cornea is exquisitely sensitive when damaged. Pain is generally what drives people to the doctor.

If you’ve experienced the above symptoms, you’ve likely suffered a corneal abrasion. Just remember, not everything that acts like a corneal abrasion is one. Instead you may have a foreign body in your eye. Or, perhaps, you have an infection that you’re blaming on dust in your eyes. Or maybe you’ve worn your contacts too long and have irritated your eyes.

Then there are people who believe they have something in their eyes when actually they have a corneal abrasion instead. This scenario is fairly common.

Therefore, the first challenge is to make the correct diagnosis. Whenever anyone suffers an eye injury, the eye should be inspected for visible damage, bleeding, or foreign bodies. Signs of serious damage also include unequal pupils, fluid leaking from the eyeball, or penetration into the eyeball. Anyone with these symptoms should see an eye specialist (ophthalmologist), if at all possible. Fortunately these injuries are rare.

It’s also vital to check the vision; you’d be surprised how often this is omitted when a patient presents to a doctor with eye symptoms. Before any intervention (and afterward as well) vision should be tested (and documented). Any significant loss of vision should be evaluated by a specialist.

As a general rule, before a doctor checks for a corneal abrasion, he or she inspects the eye for a foreign body. Foreign bodies are fairly common, and often can be flushed out with clean water or saline solution, or gently removed with a soft Kleenex or cloth. If possible, the upper eyelid should be gently everted (turned inside out) to check for hidden debris. Embedded objects, which won’t remove easily, should also be treated by a professional. A doctor with a steady hand may remove such an object with the tip of a needle, using a tangential approach (that is, not poking toward the eye at all). This should not be attempted by the layman and is almost impossible to do without first numbing the eye. Embedded metal objects may leave a rust ring, which should only be treated by a professional as well.

Much more common is a scratch of the cornea. Corneal abrasions are usually not visible to the naked eye, but occasionally you may be able to see a rough looking area instead of the glassy smoothness of an intact cornea. Even a small abrasion of only a few millimeters can hurt like crazy but may only be visible with special staining. Corneal abrasions are usually visualized using fluorescein dye and a cobalt blue light. Some doctors numb the eye before staining, but it is possible to do so without topical anesthetic, though the fluorescein burns a little. The orange dye stains damaged tissue and appears a greenish-yellow color under the cobalt blue light. The dye should be rinsed from the eye afterwards.

Corneas damaged from prolonged contact lens wear may show similar fluorescent staining as well, as may flash burns and herpes infection of the eye. A damaged cornea with no history of trauma raises the question of infection; these patients should be referred to an ophthalmologist, if available.

Once the diagnosis is established, treatment should be aimed at prevention of infection and pain control. Although the benefit of topical antibiotics is debatable for mild cases, traditionally they are still prescribed for all corneal abrasions, especially those due to trauma, foreign bodies, or contaminated debris. Erythromycin ophthalmic ointment is soothing and probably my favorite, though others are available. Ciprofloxacin is a better choice for contact lens wears, as their eyes are commonly colonized with Pseudomonas. (A potentially infected contact lens must be discarded and lens wear should be avoided until the eye is well.) When available, a topical eye antibiotic should be applied about four times daily, until symptoms have been resolved for about 24 hours.

However, for a TEOTWAWKI situation, it is unlikely that you will have access to topical eye antibiotics, and your doctor is unlikely to prescribe them “just in case.” Oral antibiotics for 2–4 days would be a second choice; an erythromycin antibiotic should be used for most people, or ciprofloxacin may be used by contact lens wearers.

Regarding pain, if you happen to have topical eye anesthetic, DO NOT use it more than once (for diagnosis or foreign body removal) as this may slow healing and hide worsening symptoms. OTC anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen, naproxen, aspirin) are helpful, though patients often receive more relief from narcotics. A corneal abrasion is a good time to “sleep it off.” Since you’ll likely not have strong pain medication available, taking an OTC sleep aid may help you through the first 24 hours, when pain is at its worst. Doxylamine is one of the most sedating OTC antihistamines (found in Nyquil). Doctors sometimes prescribe eye drops for pain, but again access to these is unlikely. Lubricating drops may be of some benefit.

Although patching of the scratched eye has long been part of standard care and seems a logical thing to do, a review of the medical literature has shown that patching the eye is not beneficial in terms of rate of healing or pain relief. However, if a patient is more comfortable wearing a patch, that’s still okay, but the eye should be re-checked daily until healed, which should not be longer than about 48 hours. Some children or the elderly may find it difficult to walk with the lack of depth perception eye patching causes. Anyone who is prone to rubbing the eyes may also benefit from patching.

Regarding healing, many corneal abrasions resolve within 24 hours and most within 48 hours. If symptoms are not nearly gone or at least significantly better after two days, something else may be going on. Again, hopefully you’ll have access to an eye specialist. (There should still be a few at TEOTWAWKI, and they’re not likely to be filling their days performing laser surgery.)

If properly cared for, it is rare that a corneal abrasion leads to permanent eye damage. Without proper care, however, infection may invade, leading to permanent scarring, partial vision loss, or even blindness.

Below is a summary of needed supplies to treat a suspected corneal abrasion, These will stand you in good stead should you happen to scratch your cornea when no doctor is available:

Cynthia J. Koelker, MD is the Medical Editor for SurvivalBlog and Author of Armageddon Medicine, at www.ArmageddonMedicine.net.

News From The American Redoubt:

Nampa Idaho woman finds her paid-for burial plot occupied – RBS

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Idaho Guard hopes ticket sales will carry inauguration costs. – RBS

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This is a classic example of how the “system” cannot handle change or resist taxing the crap out of everyone. Two Uber drivers cited since Boise cease-and-desist order. – RBS

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Website helps get lost or stolen valuables back to owners

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Idaho State University cancels order for 11 AR-15 rifles

Odds ‘n Sods:

Novel New Law Prompts Towns to Rescind Gun Control. – H.L.

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SurvivalBlog reader P.M. sent an interesting read over on the Survivalistboards.com on Survival Camouflage.

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“Cassandra C.” Speaks Out On Her Forced Chemotherapy . So many this seems to be happening to. It’s frightening that a child can be taken, even many very small children, just for seeking a second opinion or not agreeing with a doctor. She could have an abortion without parents even knowing. How twisted “medical” care is becoming. – D.S.

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The FBI Is Now Fully Integrated Into The NSA Surveillance Grid. – T.F.

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Fifty Terror Plots Foiled Since 9/11: The Homegrown Threat and the Long War on Terrorism. – P.M.