Odds ‘n Sods:

Living Off Grid – Does It Cost More? . – H.L.

I’m not sure this is a fair comparison. The author admits that it is difficult to compare the two, but I believe it goes deeper than the issues he lists. You also have to compare the stability of your power as well as long-term maintenance costs. It is my current understanding that living off the power grid with solar is really only cost effective when the commercial utility power would have to be brought in at great expense. However, there is something to be said for “peace of mind”.

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Several SurvivalBlog readers wrote in to inform us that the firearm accessory noticed in the video yesterday (at 11:48) was the new H&K M320.

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Monday morning, SurvivalBlog reader D.F. watched a commercial by former Navy Seal Dom Raso. It was powerful and emotional, and it is sure to be controversial, both for the subject matter and because of the sponsor.

Surely this brave former Seal knows that he will pay a price for making this commercial. The things he says will anger some powerful political people who will unleash a massive campaign to destroy his credibility and his ability to earn a living. They will try to destroy him.

They have done it to others who dared to challenge them, and you have seen it happen.

You may not agree with or even like the sponsor, but if you agree with what Dom says, please share it with others.

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7 Lessons from Ferguson. – J.W.

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We’ve posted similar links before, but it bears repeating: Are Expired Medications OK to Take?. – G.G.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“All our experience with history should teach us, when we look back, how badly human wisdom is betrayed when it relies on itself.” – Martin Luther

Notes for Tuesday – August 26, 2014

August 26, 526, is the official anniversary of the invention of toilet paper by the Chinese. We celebrate this, not because of the convenience of it. In fact, it has many shortcomings, some described within the articles and letters of SurvivalBlog. We celebrate it primarily because now we have an official metric of just how hard core of a prepper you are as well as a metric for just how economically unstable your country is.

August 26, 1946 is also the official release date of George Orwell’s “Animal Farm.”

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Today, we present another entry for Round 54 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,100+ 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 hardcase 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 1 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 Warehouseis providing 30 DMPS 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. A roll of $10 face value in pre-1965 U.S. 90% silver quarters, courtesy of GoldAndSilverOnline.com, (currently valued at around $180 postpaid),
  11. Both VPN tunnel and DigitalSafe annual subscriptions from Privacy Abroad (a combined value of $195),
  12. 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,
  13. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate.

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. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value),
  9. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate,
  10. Organized Prepper is providing a $500 gift certificate, and
  11. RepackBoxis 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. Ambra Le Roy Medical Products in North Carolina is donating a bundle of their traditional wound care and first aid supplies, with a value of $208, and
  7. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit, and
  8. SurvivalBased.com is donating a $500 gift certificate to their store.
  9. Montie Gearis donating a Y-Shot Slingshot and a Locking Rifle Rack. (a $379 value).

Round 54 ends on September 30st, 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.

Quarantine Procedures for Ebola and Other Diseases at Your Bugout Location, by F.C.

With the most recent outbreak of Ebola in West Africa, causing the deaths of close to 900 people as of this writing in August 2014, along with reports that some people infected with the disease are now arriving in the U.S., many of us should now be asking this question: In all of my preparedness procedures, how do I protect myself, my family, and others in my bug-out or bug-in location from Ebola and other deadly diseases? What do I do if family and/or friends show up weeks after a full-fledged pandemic has broken out? Do I welcome them instantly with open arms? Or, do I firmly insist on some type of quarantine procedure before admitting them through our gates?

Suppose several weeks have now passed by since the collapse. You, your family, and your rusted friends are now safe in your bug-out location. Suddenly, your cousin and his family show up at the gate, haggard, hungry, thirsty and despondent. One of his small daughters is very ill and is being carried by your cousin on a modified backpack. You had strongly recommended that your cousin join you weeks ago, immediately after the collapse, but he kept insisting the city would be able to turn the power and water back on in a few days. They never did. They took several days packing their belongings into two vehicles, which later on ran out of gas on their way to your location. Now, they were forced to cover over seventy miles on foot, which was no small chore with a sick child.

Simultaneously, you have heard radio reports of a world-wide pandemic of a new, deadly strain of Ebola. It started in West Africa and quickly spread to Europe, Asia, and the Americas. At first, doctors in the U.S. claimed to have contained the disease to a few isolated cases. However, it has now spread worldwide into a full-fledged pandemic. You also heard disturbing reports of many illegal aliens, now infected with Ebola and other diseases, continuing to stream across our southern border. All of these reports reminded you of the importance of maintaining not only normal OPSEC (operational security) but also now disease-relate OPSEC. The few refugees who showed up at your gate were not given the hose to refill their water bottles but were tossed a few disposable water bottles from a safe distance. However, you haven’t let anyone in yet, and now your cousin is here, fully expecting you to open the gate. What do you do?

First of all, here are some facts about Ebola, from the Centers for Disease Control:

  1. Ebola causes hemorrhagic fever, characterized by fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, sore throat, and weakness, followed by diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain. A rash, red eyes, hiccups, and internal and external bleeding may be seen in some patients.
  2. Incubation period lasts from 2 to 21 days, and is “often” fatal, according to the CDC.
  3. Ebola can be spread in several ways:
    1. Direct contact with the blood and/or secretions of an infected person.
    2. Contact with objects, such as needles that have been contaminated with infected secretions.
    3. One strain known as Ebola Reston was spread from monkey to monkey in a primate research center in Reston, Virginia, through the air. This was described in the best-selling book, “The Hot Zone.” The monkeys were later euthanized.
    4. The CDC even admits, “while all Ebola virus species have displayed the ability to be spread through airborne particles (aerosols) under research conditions, this type of spread has not been documented among humans in a real-world setting, such as a hospital or household.”

So, if we already know that Ebola is usually fatal (“often” is an understatement– the World Health Organization states the Ebola fatality rate is 90%), and that it is possible for at least some strains of the disease to be spread through the air, what types of precautions should we take to prevent family and friends from becoming infected with Ebola or other life-threatening diseases?

Starting now, as much as possible, avoid contact with people in high-risk areas. I can’t tell you how to live your life, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. At the very least, be aware of anyone coughing or who looks ill, and maintain as much distance as possible. What about those shopping carts at the grocery store? Some stores are already providing sanitary, disinfectant wipes to clean off the handles. At the very least, carry a handkerchief or tissues for this and other uses.

As reports begin to circulate that Ebola/other diseases are spreading openly into our cities, take further preventative action. Avoid shaking hands with others as much as possible. If possible, wear gloves. In China and many countries, many people even wear anti-viral Biomask masks over their mouths to reduce the possibility of infection. You think these measures are extreme? Just wait until Ebola or a similar disease becomes a full-fledged epidemic or pandemic. I guarantee that you’ll see a lot of people wearing gloves and masks, and you’ll see a lot less people mocking those who do.

What about hospitals? Suppose you have to take your son with a possible broken ankle to the emergency room, and you find yourself sitting between a sick teenaged boy and a sick woman, both of whom have a loud, hacking cough. Suppose the boy doesn’t bother to cover his mouth when he coughs. You still think wearing a mask or holding a handkerchief to your face is weird? Or, to up the ante, suppose this hospital is in a large city close to our southern border, where large numbers of illegal aliens who are carrying contagious diseases are reported to be crossing. Let’s further suppose that both the boy and the woman sitting next to you are bleeding from the nose and mouth, in addition to coughing. Now do you think some preventative action might be needed?

Here’s another one for you: What about health clubs? Most of us are quite familiar with the workout warrior who drips sweat all over the treadmill or elliptical machine. Do you really want to be the next person to clamp your hands onto it? Don’t think that spray bottle of “disinfectant” the health club urges you to use will remove every last trace of that potentially tainted bodily fluid. In fact, we could see closures of any number of sports facilities, if Ebola or other diseases get too far out of hand. You think it won’t happen? As of this writing, several soccer stadiums in Liberia, West Africa, have already been closed, due to concerns about Ebola. In neighboring Senegal, several food markets have been closed. If we see a serious outbreak of this or any other dangerous disease in our country, it will cause closures of many businesses and public services, causing a major disruption in our way of life.

Let’s get back to your own situation. Suppose you do make it safely to your bug-out (or stay in your bug-in) location. As soon as you arrive, be sure to establish a disease quarantine protocol for any new arrivals, whether family, friends, or others. It might look something like this:

  1. Anyone who shows up at the gate must wait outside, keeping a safe distance from established bug-out members. There are no exceptions. Besides posting the usual No Trespassing” sign or “Trespassers will be Shot” signs, it may be helpful to give a bit of explanation, such as: “Due to the risk of infection from contagious diseases, visitors must remain outside gate/fence until cleared for entrance.”
  2. Any new arrivals qualified for later admittance into your compound, (family or friends) must camp out in a designated “probationary area,” located a safe distance from your compound. Since the incubation period of Ebola lasts up to 21 days, they should remain on quarantine probation for at least four weeks. Six or eight weeks would be preferable. After the designated time period has elapsed, probationary members will need to be observed carefully for any signs of illness, based on previously described symptoms. They should also be screened for symptoms of other diseases. Only after being cleared should they be allowed to enter your compound.
  3. Any food and water probationary members receive should be either left in a designated area by the fence/gate for pickup or thrown over the fence. It’s possible that a hose could be rigged up on a fence or tree limb to squirt down from a safe distance into a holding tank for use by quarantined probationary members. The same applies for any implements used, including cups, plates, forks, and even small shovels for restroom use and any other supplies they need. So, it would probably be wise to stock up on all of these items that will be used only by the “Probies” and burned or sanitized at some point later. Water could be also delivered in separate containers, and the containers not sent back across the fence for refills. It may be wise to rinse out used 2-liter bottles now to stock up for future use. Probationary members should never be allowed to touch your water faucet until after the probation period has ended and they are cleared for admittance.
  4. Probationary members must maintain distance from members of your group. How much distance? I don’t know, but it is better to be safe than sorry.

Now, complications are bound to happen. What if, for example, your cousin’s wife complains loudly that she’s sick and tired of having to dig a hole to go to the restroom? Now she wants to use your restroom, which has the “luxury” of well-water and a flush toilet that is connected to a septic tank. What if she starts screaming hysterically and even, somehow, jumps or digs under your fence and sprints towards your house, brandishing a sharpened stick or knife? What do you do? Oh, you don’t want to think about such things now? You think it will never happen? Think again. There is a very strong likelihood that this and many other similar, or even worse, scenarios will play out in the future, each one compromising and potentially placing into jeopardy the health of you, your family, and your friends.

Here’s another possible complication: What if your sister and her family show up a week after your cousin? Now, you’re going to have to establish a second quarantine area, and each area will need to remain separated from everyone else until the 4-6 weeks are up and they are cleared. Anyone who has contact with anyone else starts all over again. In case anyone thinks this is extreme, remember that we are dealing with a potentially deadly disease which, in some cases, has been proven to be spread through the air. Imagine the guilt you or others may feel as you watch your own son or daughter in separate quarantine for confirmed infections of Ebola or some other disease go through the litany of horrible symptoms, only getting progressively worse, as you despondently ponder why you were so negligent in protecting them from exposure.

Do we know for sure that a world-wide pandemic, or at least regional epidemics of disease will happen in the future? Actually, we do; the answer is “yes”. Jesus himself said in the last days, “There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places…” (Luke 21:11). Pestilences include any type of disease, including Ebola, AIDS, Cholera, Dysentery, Bubonic Plague, Avian Flu and many others. And notice the plural tense of “pestilences”. So, in all likelihood, we will see a combination of different diseases ravage our world, with varying precautionary procedures needed for each one. In case someone claims that this verse doesn’t apply, because we have always had diseases throughout all history, keep in mind that Jesus further pointed out that the various afflictions affecting the earth in the last days would be “the beginning of birth pains” (Matthew 24:8). In other words, wars, earthquakes, famines, and pestilences will increase in both frequency and severity, leading up to his second coming, in a similar fashion to the pains experienced by a woman giving birth.

Another confirmation of this is found in the book of Revelation, when the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are described. In Revelation 6:8, the rider of the fourth, or pale, horse is described as having “power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.” So, we know that plague, which by definition could be either sickness afflicting people, or disease-crippling crops via locusts, scale or other means will, along with other calamities, kill 25% of the world’s population in the future. With the current world population estimated at over seven billion, this amounts to approximately 1.7 billion deaths worldwide. So, the effects of pestilences in the future will be catastrophic.

Now, why do you think God would tell us in his word ahead of time about all these future terrors? To get us prepared, that’s why! First and foremost, we should be prepared spiritually. We need, right now, to quit bowing down before the idols of materialism and get right with God, before it’s too late. This is what has gotten us in trouble already. In the past, whenever a nation or group of people forgot about God and ran after various forms of idolatry, God’s judgment came sooner or later, reducing that nation to rubble and sending its people into captivity. I personally believe that America is now paying the price for our collective sins of abortion, sexual immorality, drugs, alcohol, crime, and other perverted practices.

Throughout history, whenever people have turned their back on God, judgment is not far behind. For example, when the ancient Israelites rejected the Lord, he told them: “I gave you empty stomachs in every city and lack of bread in every town, yet you have not returned to me,” and “I also withheld rain from you when the harvest was still three months away. I sent rain on one town, but withheld it from another.” (Amos 4:6-7) So, the good news is God selectively blesses those who seek him, but selectively curses those who don’t. If we and those around us will get right with God, there is strong indication that he will take care of us in the midst of famine, drought, and disease. On the other hand, in those areas where people reject God, there is a strong indication that punishment will come.

Of course, despite all of our best intentions, there are still scores of people, including many Christians, who are dying and will continue to die for their faith. For example, thousands of Christians in Muslim-controlled countries, such as Iraq and Syria, are being forced to either “submit” to Islam or die. Hence, we receive the news reports of beheadings and crucifixions of many believers. One thing I have learned is that you cannot put God into a box and demand that he act in a certain way to conform to the whims of your interpretations of different Bible verses. However, I do believe that regardless of the outcome of our own lives and those around us, we do have control over our own spiritual destiny.

It may be that even after taking many precautions that many of us will die anyway, either from disease, hunger, thirst, attacks from violent refugees, or other reasons. In this case, at least we will know we did our best to protect ourselves, our families, our friends, and others. Those of us who have a right relationship with God have eternal life. However, to simply sit around and do nothing to protect those we love is tragic. To be negligent is even worse. Take action today, and take even more action in the future, to keep you and your loved ones alive and healthy and to survive and thrive during the coming post-collapse tribulation.

Sources:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/Fact_Sheets/Ebola_Fact_Booklet.pdf

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/

Letter Re: Another Good Reason to Can

HJL,

Concerning redistributing your home canned food, the new FDA regulations for packaging or repackaging foods are onerous at best. In order to be certified to pack tomatoes, you have a couple of weeks of classes to attend now. This has made it impossible for charitable private organizations, like the Mormon church, to continue many of their programs. In fact if I give away home canned goods to friends, I am technically in violation of the law now.

Personally, it means that the average two and a half tons per year of food that I was canning and distributing I can no longer do, as I am not a professional. I only began dry pack canning when I was 10 years old and my mother was called to be the regional cannery coordinator. So, I’d put my real world experience and credentials up against those government idiots any day of the week. With my forty years of experience, they say I have to take a series of classes that will take me out of work for more than month to do what the Lord has called me to do. Horse flop!

I also understand that at least in my area many common practices by farmers have come to a halt. They can no longer give away produce that is close to its expiration date, and leaving the fields open for gleaning is also being frowned upon.

Since I lived off of largess for a semester in college this personally frosts me. One of the local farmers would leave all the bad spuds for folks to glean. Many of them were fine; they just were not the perfect shape. I lived on 50 pounds of potatoes from one field, a ten pound sack of onions, two gallons of oil, and two large bottles of ketchup for an entire semester. The heck if I was going to take a handout, and by gleaning I was working in some small way for my food. My treats that semester were 10 cent boxes of jiffy corn bread and powdered milk to drink the cornbread down. 🙂

As Reagan said, the government is the problem. – H.D.

News From The American Redoubt:

Idaho to distribute predator deterrent money

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For Once, Republican Candidates Aren’t the Ones Embarrassing Themselves. We love the American Redoubt, but they are not immune from “crazies”. A Google search reveals this candidate’s vlog, and you can see for yourself why 90 percent of communication is body language rather than words.

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Child Falls to Death in Yellowstone Canyon

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Federal ruling points to differences over grizzlies’ survivability

Odds ‘n Sods:

This video from Afghanistan shows some interesting new weapons, web gear, and optics variants, along with some good, old fashioned fire and maneuver tactics:

U.S. Recon Team Assaults Taliban Position Under Fire

Warning: This video includes foul language. – JWR

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Electromagnetic Warfare Is Here. – M.C.

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Lawyers Ask Ferguson Mayor to Grant Amnesty for Nonviolent Warrants, Fines. – T.P.

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10 George Orwell Quotes That Predicted Life In 2014 America. – J.W.

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Why Do the People Abuse Themselves by Empowering Government?. – H.L.

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How Will You Know What Has Happened When ‘IT’ Happens?. – J.W.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“To tax the larger incomes at a higher percentage than the smaller, is to lay a tax on industry and economy; to impose a penalty on people for having worked harder and saved more than their neighbors.” – John Stuart

Notes for Monday – August 25, 2014<

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. JWR met Pat a few years ago, and Pat very kindly autographed his entire battered collection of Pat’s 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.

Guest Article: Another Good Reason to Can, Process, Preserve, and Repackage Your Produce, by R.W.

As if you have not heard enough great reasons to process, can, and preserve your own foods, here is more food for thought (pun intended).

I cannot speak to every state in the union, but as for the state I live in there are some very strict rules about what foods can be placed in an “official, non-profit Food Pantry”– a charity often run by a church or other non-profit organization that hands out food to those in need.

Here are a few of the draconian rules that apply to organizations that are trying to get food (mostly non-perishables) to the less fortunate:

  • No food may be given away that is beyond the expiration date, recommended by the processor, as stated by the date stamp on the package.
  • No food may be given away that does not have proper labeling, as designated by the FDA (contents and nutritional factoids). (Most of the additives on these labels are dubious for our health and are often unrecognizable and unpronounceable by the average person on the street. My wife would say, “These processed foods are not nice for us.”)
  • No foods may be given away or distributed (for free) that has damaged packaging, such as torn wrappers, dinted cans over ¼ inch deep, open or missing factory containers, or otherwise adulterated in any way.

On top of all of this, you have to have a license to distribute any bulk foods in smaller containers, and you are subject to FDA as well as state inspections and having the Department of Agriculture come by and check scales and container volumes, if you are distributing bulk materials that are not in their original packaging.

Any mass distributed, home processed foods require health-inspected kitchens, FDA labeling, and a manufacturers license to make and distribute, even if you are giving them away.

This has not stopped many local farmers markets, where you can buy produce, but it does mean that if the Department of Agriculture, the FDA, or the local Health Department comes calling, you may be subject to loss of the ability to distribute, fines, or penalties depending upon: what products you are selling, what type of scales or containers you are using (scales must be certified accurate, containers must be new or certified sterile), and other intrusive regulations precluding your ability to sell or distribute home grown products. In other words, at any given farmers market, on any given day, you may be subject to fines, impoundment, or confiscation, even as we speak.

Why am I telling all of you this great trivia? Well, basically I am trying to get you to think about the ramifications or benefits of this type of government oversight that is currently in force for food distribution, even when food is being given away. As it says in the “Good Book”, “My people parish from lack of knowledge!” Knowledge is power and in times of ever-increasing risk of redistribution, confiscation, and “fair re-allocations of assets”– all even more probable during times of disaster or martial law, what guidelines will the government follow if they come to your home for food seizures, confiscations, and redistribution of assets? What can you expect when your rich “uncle” decides it is necessary to come and take food and provisions from those who have been preparing and give them to the “less fortunate” or less informed?

IF you think our government is not capable of or unwilling to do such things, just ask anyone who ran an aid station, food pantry, or shelter during the “government occupation” of the southern states affected by Hurricane Katrina. (I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that I have had personal conversations with aid workers and read several first-hand accounts of the type of treatment local non-profits suffered during the aftermath of the carnage we call Katrina.) Guns were not the only thing the government commandeered or appropriated, without reimbursement or receipts. Farm equipment, construction equipment, supplies, and other personal property were illegally taken by the Alphabet agencies sent to help the population in need of asset redistribution. We do not hear so much about the type of “legal looting” the government is capable of.

Say it isn’t so! But I digress!

What I believe each of you should know and understand is that it might be to our benefit to have a large percentage of the preps we have set aside NOT be store bought, neatly packaged, well organized, categorized, and documented for anyone and everyone to see. Not only can they not take what they do not see (read alternative cashes), they will probably not remand non-compliant produce that is not processed, manufactured, and labeled for the entire world to see. Am I saying it is wrong to purchase, inventory, rotate, and organize canned, dried, or pre-packaged foods or MREs? No! These items are all great for being ready for possible difficult times.

What I am saying is that there may be others interested in your inventories, and we need to make our inventories as uninteresting and undesirable as we can, as much as we can and as best we can. Put most of your bulk food stuffs (beans, rice, grains, flour, sugar, popcorn, et cetera) in different, hand-labeled cartons, bags, baggies, jars, canisters, hoppers, buckets, tins, and the like. Hand labels are wonderful, containing dates, quantities, product names and even a portion of your cans can be so modified as to make them unappealing for the food, redistribution police.

If you are not skilled in home food preservation, get educated, read, watch, participate, join in, grow, process, dry, can, freeze, and maybe even remove a label or two, or dent a few cans, and repackage stuff so it is less appealing to the government or others to commandeer.

I am convinced that there are those the Lord may ask us to help or send our way during lean or difficult times. If they try and take by force, they are not welcome, but if they come in humility, we will try and help with the assistance that we have at our disposal. My wife and I have hearts to help as many as we can, as safely as we can, and as wisely as we can. If the redistributors come to check on our goods, we have made them as unappealing as possible to prevent them from being taken from us. If all is taken from us, we definitely will not be able to help ourselves or offer help to others. I, for one, believe in options and choices, and I am trying to increase the odds by making confiscation a less appealing proposition.

Remember, there are lots of great reasons to be self-sufficient and process as much of your own food as possible, and how you store and organize your nonperishable does make a difference in your options.

May God bless, guide, and protect you as you navigate these potentially difficult times. I believe He is our best option in any circumstance. He may send a life boat or He may ask us to swim, but He will never leave us or forsake us in times of trouble.

Scot’s Product Review: InstaFire

Fire is kind of a big deal. It keeps us warm, cooks our food, and can signal for help. It’s comforting to sit around one. Being able to have a fire quickly is a very nice thing. InstaFire FireStarter lives up to its name, though you do actually have to go to the bother of striking a match to light it. That’s really not too much to ask for, though, considering the benefit. Yes, there are a lot of things you can set on fire with a match, but unlike a piece of wadded up newspaper, this stuff burns hot and long, so you have plenty of time to get a proper fire going. In fact, it burns hot and long enough that it might be all the fuel you need for heating a quick meal or making a warm drink.

So what is this stuff? It looks like some sort of greenish crumbles you might put in a fish tank along with some brownish pellets that could be gerbil food. They mention on the website that the green stuff is what you light. The company’s website says that “InstaFire is a patented blend of volcanic rock, wood pellets, and paraffin wax. This patented formula is what makes InstaFire water resistant for use in even the most severe weather, such as rain, snow, or high winds.” That’s a bit more informative than my visual assessment.

We do not have snow very often where I live, and I tested it in July, so I can’t say anything about the snow part of their claims. I did, however, check it on windy days. As long as I could keep the match lit long enough to get it to the pile of InstaFire, I could light the InstaFire. Common sense prevails, though, and you do need to give it a bit of shelter for it to burn properly.

The rain part also holds true. If you can get the match to light and get it to the InstaFire while the match is burning, you can light the InstaFire as long as you keep it reasonably dry. The pouches it comes in does an admirable job of that. I tried soaking some loose stuff in a bowl for about 15 minutes and found it was hard to light, but I did manage to get a few bits going even while it was floating on water. You can perform the fun trick of lighting some dry InstaFire, though, and then putting it on water, and it will keep burning while floating. I was able to get the stuff I soaked to burn after letting it dry for about six hours. It didn’t burn as well as fresh from the pouch as it was still damp, but it burned, which I thought was pretty amazing. Try that with a wad of newspaper.

InstaFire comes in two forms– buckets of loose material and in convenient pouches. You can actually set the pouches on fire and not even bother opening it. You usually don’t need the whole pouch, however, so I haven’t torched the whole thing very often. I did use a full pouch to start a wet pile of brush cuttings that a pile of shredded paper wouldn’t phase. Now I have a nice, cleared, level spot of ashes where the offending pile of debris once stood. Scorched Earth can be good.

I’ve been using InstaFire for over a year. I got some to see if it was worth having around, and I decided that it is. I find it particularly handy for starting fires in a fireplace, as well as on campouts with the Scouts. I recently found a half used pouch that had been sitting open for close to a year after a campout. It had been stored inside in air conditioned space and only loosely closed. It worked just fine.

Just as a refresher on fires, we need basically four things to get one going. First, you need a fire starter, which is basically a source of heat that is hot enough to ignite tinder. It could be a match or something that makes sparks, like a fire steel or perhaps something that generates enough friction to get a flame. Tinder is what you light with your fire starter. Tinder can be things like a tuft of cotton, some dryer lint, or wood shavings from a dry stick. Some of my friends swear by cotton balls with some petroleum jelly smeared into them. There are tons of commercial tinder products. Next, you need kindling, which is small stuff like dry sticks the size of a pencil. Finally, we come to fuel, which includes things like logs or coal that can burn for a long time and produce a lot of heat.

InstaFire can serve as tinder, kindling, and fuel, which is downright splendid. While it started easily with a match, I wanted to see how it would do with other means of fire starters. The very patient person who taught me how to start fires (I was not an apt student) felt you really have to be able to get a fire going without matches by using something that makes a spark. When I tried my fire steel I was not able to get the pile of InstaFire going. I can almost always get a tuft of cotton going with one or two strikes on my fire steel, using the back of my knife blade rather than the little piece of steel that comes with the fire starter. It works better that way. I spread the cotton out so I don’t have to be as accurate with the sparks. I checked, and as suspected, burning cotton does a great job of getting InstaFire going.

The InstaFire folks, however, don’t suggest this method of igniting it but do mention using magnesium fire starters. These are a block of magnesium with a flint embedded on one side. You shave some magnesium off of the block into a small pile and then strike the flint with your knife. The magnesium then makes a hot, though, short-lived fire. I decided to dig mine out and give it a whirl. I felt silly when I could not get a spark to hit the pile of magnesium (not an apt student, remember), but one spark did hit the adjacent pile of InstaFire, which started right up and then lit the magnesium. The flint on this starter clearly made bigger sparks than the one on my fire steel, so this proves that you can start InstaFire with a spark, but you need a pretty good sized one– bigger than you need for a bit of cotton or drier lint. It’s possible though, so InstaFire is officially tinder in my book.

InstaFire is also fantastic kindling. Kindling is the small stuff that you can build the fire you created from tinder into a real fire using fuel in the form of bigger pieces of wood. You normally gather a bunch of small, dry sticks to use as kindling, but with InstaFire, you can greatly reduce the need for this stuff and save the time spent gathering it. I would still gather some kindling to reduce the amount of InstaFire needed, as I hate to waste something as useful as InstaFire, but if you have nicely split, dry, high quality firewood, you can probably get by just fine without additional kindling. Since dry kindling is rare in these parts, it is wonderful to not need as much.

Part of the job of kindling is to dry the fuel wood and heat it enough to burn. They show InstaFire starting wet wood in their videos, but I like insurance and having some dry sticks to add to the InstaFire can provide it.

Okay, suppose you don’t need a real fire but just want something to heat a small meal or hot drink? Well, not only is InstaFire fantastic kindling, it is also a great fuel. A pouch will burn for 15 minutes or so, and InstaFire says it burns at around 1,000 degrees, which is plenty hot enough to cook on. The stuff isn’t heavy; each pouch is about two ounces, so it isn’t hard to carry. A solo hiker on a two or three day trip could probably carry what they need in their pack. Ten or so pouches of the stuff would be less than a pound and a half and make a bundle about 7”x5”x4”. If you are in an area with dry branches and twigs to gather, you could easily extend that without much effort.

Another nice feature of InstaFire is that it burns without smoke. You could very easily heat food during the day without anyone knowing you were around.

I really like the fact that InstaFire does not flare up. They compare it to lighting a candle, and that’s a pretty good analogy. I’ve had to jump back from lighter fluid, which isn’t much fun. InstaFire feels a lot safer.

InstaFire also sells CharcoalStarter, which comes in the same sort of pouch as InstaFire. It looks like about the same stuff to me, but the website says that it has “apple wood/alder wood pellets that give a slight apple wood scent when burnt”, while the InstaFire contains “Pine, Aspen, and Fir wood pellets that make a lovely pine scent much like a camp fire…” According to InstaFire, they use the different pellets so the fire will have an appropriate smell for the purpose of the fire. I do like the idea, but personally, I see no reason not to use the regular stuff, if that’s all you have to start a charcoal fire. I would also use the charcoal stuff to start a regular fire if necessary. Either way, I would enjoy the fragrance and the fire.

I tried the CharcoalStarter they sent for the review, and it worked as promised. I think you could get by with less than a whole pouch for a small hibachi-style grill. Using a chimney appears more efficient than letting it start in the grill, but I didn’t’ have one. I greatly prefer this stuff to the common lighter fluid for charcoal. InstaFire says there are no harmful chemicals in it, so it isn’t going to add a bad flavor to food if you start cooking too soon. As mentioned above, it doesn’t flare up, so your eyebrows and beard are quite safe, thank you very much. I think it actually does a better job at starting the coals, too. How often have you had to give a few extra squirts of lighter fluid to get your charcoal going? It’s not a problem with InstaFire, though not as exciting. I didn’t do a cost analysis, but I do fear it is slightly more expensive. I certainly prefer carrying it around. Having a quart of lighter fluid leak in the car is not much fun. If a pouch of InstaFire were to pop open, it won’t stink or poison the air in the car and can easily be vacuumed out. Just don’t light it.

InstaFire also sells five gallon buckets of the stuff labeled Emergency Fuel. It is the same product as the fire starter, simply packaged in a more economical manner.

InstaFire estimates the shelf life is 30 years. I bet if it was vacuum packed, it would last forever, but I have no way to prove that.

InstaFire is an American company based in Utah and founded by Konel Banner and Fred Weston. Both of them are outdoorsmen. Banner saw the aftermath of both the Teton Dam flood and Hurricane Katrina, while Weston served as a firefighter. They are familiar with dealing with problematic situations. Their company motto is “Safe. Simple. Versatile.” I think their products live up to it and have earned a place in my household. You can certainly argue that you should be able to get by without something like InstaFire, but you can’t deny that having some could sure make life easier in a crunch.

The pouches of Instafire FireStarter and CharcoalStarter average a bit more than a buck each, but buying them in larger quantities drives that down slightly. A single pouch can cook food or start several fires. The two gallon buckets are a bit more than $30, while the four gallon ones are a bit under $60. The Emergency Fuel five-gallon bucket is about $66.00. They have an Instafire page with all of the products listed.

As an aside, something that I’ve been meaning to try for a long time, and testing InstaFire got me motivated to do it, is the so-called Dakota Fire hole. This is a clever way of building a fire for cooking that is very efficient. I was frustrated, though, that I wasn’t able to figure out why it is called a Dakota Fire Hole. Perhaps a reader can enlighten me!

Anyway, the idea is to dig a hole about 18” square and at least as deep. You can vary the size of the fire hole, if you need a larger or smaller fire. Dig another hole, which can be smaller and shallower, next to it. Then dig a tunnel between the two about the diameter of your fist. The fire is in the first hole and the second hole serves to provide air to the fire. This functions much like the rocket stoves that have gotten really popular in the last few years.

You build your fire by getting some tinder going, then layering in some kindling, and finally adding some fuel. You can use some green branches to build a grate over the fire to rest a pot or cup on. You can feed fuel in from the top or through the tunnel. I’ve seen people do both. When you need to add air to the fire, you can blow through the tunnel, though it isn’t as easy as using a rocket stove.

I found that about a half pouch of InstaFire worked beautifully at starting a fire in the hole my son and I dug. We probably could have used less InstaFire. We added dry sticks and then a fuel log about three inches in diameter and had a very nice fire going that lasted for about an hour. It would have done a nice job of cooking a meal.

There is a great feature to this sort of fire. It is below ground, so it is hard to see. There is a glow after dark but nothing like you get from a regular fire. You could shield it far more easily than you could a regular fire. As with any fire, it may smoke depending on fuel quality. Wet stuff will smoke, but dry stuff will burn pretty cleanly. I think the fire can burn a bit hotter in this system than in a regular one, but I have no real way to prove it. The higher temperature helps cut down on the smoke.

As in all of life, though, there is a drawback to match the advantage. The heat goes up and can’t radiate from the fire because the fire is underground. That means it isn’t much for warmth or conviviality. I wondered, though, if a heat proof tarp spread above the fire could catch some of the heat and reflect it back. One of the foil survival style blankets come to mind for this purpose. I’m going to try it this winter. It would, however, also catch some of the glow from the fire, which would make it more visible. Nothing is free, sigh. – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor, Scot Frank Erie

Recipe of the Week: Italian Bean Soup, by L.H.

This is a favorite soup of ours. It’s hearty, healthy, and perfect for a cold winter’s day. It is also a wonderful way to slip some healthy spinach into the diets of those in your family who think they don’t like it; they’ll never taste that it’s there.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cans (14.5 oz. ea.) cannellini beans (or any white beans), rinsed and drained
  • 1 tbs. olive oil
  • ½ – 1 c. cooked, diced ham
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 c. thinly-shredded cabbage
  • 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes
  • 3 cans (14.5 oz. ea.) chicken broth
  • 1 small zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch half-rounds
  • 2 c. fresh spinach, cleaned and coarsely chopped
  • 1 tsp. dried basil
  • ½ tsp. black pepper

Directions:

Place one can of the beans on a plate and mash with a fork to a mush; set aside. In soup pot heat oil and sauté ham, celery, carrots, onion, and cabbage over medium heat till crisp-tender, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, chicken broth, zucchini, spinach, basil, pepper, and the mashed beans. Bring to boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in remaining can of beans and heat another 5 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

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Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? Please send it via e-mail. Thanks!

Letter Re: Calcium Hypochlorite Reminders

Hugh,

A reminder that Calcium Hypochlorite WILL corrode metal stored anywhere nearby. Also, many articles appear stating that you can siphon gas from your gas tank. ALL late model cars and 1/2 ton trucks and vans have a restriction in the filler neck that is designed to prevent leaking gas in the event of a rollover. Siphon hoses will not work in this application. They will work in 3/4 trucks and up, because they fall into different federal class regulations. -F.M.

Economics and Investing:

New definition of retirement = work until you die: Half of Americans have little to no savings for what will likely be a long and drawn out retirement.

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Bitcoin Phishing Click Rate Higher than for Regular Scams. – JBG

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Beware the Return of Debtor’s Prison

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DOJ Allows Bank of America to Deduct $12 Billion of $17 Billion Settlement. – PLC

Items from Mr. Econocobas:

Is Portugal Next In Line For Wealth Confiscation?