Odds ‘n Sods:

An excellent article for when you “suddenly” inherit some of those fine, feathered cackleberry producers: Build a chicken house in a day – RBS

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Listen to the American People: Secure Border, No Amnesty – B.B.

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More on U.S. Army ATP 3-39-33 : New Army Manual Calls for the Use of Lethal Force Against Peaceful Protesters. – T.P.

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For our friends across the pond, it appears there may be an option so you can own an “almost” semi-automatic AR-15 type rifle. LR223 is New British Almost-Semi-Automatic AR15. – J.C.

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Protect and Serve Thyselves. What police militarization hath wrought– from walking the beat in 1914 to emergency patrol cruiser response in 1974, to full-on military assault gear and weaponry in 2014. A look at the transformation. It’s somewhat jaded in its outlook, but it lays the facts out, nonetheless.

Notes for Tuesday – August 19, 2014

Today, we present another entry for Round 54 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,400+ 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. Dri-Harvestfoods.com in Bozeman, Montana is providing a prize bundle with Beans, Buttermilk Powder, Montana Hard Red Wheat, Drink Mixes, and White Rice, valued at $333,
  10. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate,
  11. Organized Prepper is providing a $500 gift certificate, and
  12. 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.

Raising Joyful Soldiers: Practical Methods for Teaching Children to be Responsible, Productive Leaders in a Survival Situation – Part 1, by Dr. W

The very first writing prize on this blog was awarded to an article titled “Preparing Your Children”, which explored the mindset and general principles of nurturing our children to become responsible adults who can survive and thrive in a post-collapse setting. This article will guide readers away from the general to the specific, exploring, in detail, easy-to-implement principles and activities that parents can begin to apply now, regardless of their children’s ages and stages, to the nitty-gritty details of raising our children day to day.

As a homeschooling family with several children, we aimed to raise our kids to love God and have fun enjoying the many blessings and privileges He’s given us but always with a sober eye to the possibility that they may one day be forced to raise their own children in a drastically different environment. As a result, all of our work, play, worship, study, and mealtime conversations were done with a subtle preparedness mindset, so that it naturally and easily became a part of who we were, both during the years we lived in a rural setting and now in our home in a big city (where they can attend college).

Through all the years of raising our family, we’ve lived “normal” lives. Our primary focus has been on preparing our children to seek first the Kingdom of God and be of service there. We have come to realize, however, that as a result of this, the principles, methods, and activities described below have, in fact, produced well-adjusted young adults who are becoming increasingly prepared to adapt to any scenario.

May these thoughts equally serve your family, or at least provide a wellspring of ideas to adapt to your particular situation. After all, the great work we have been given to make disciples of all nations is a shared work that involves all people through all of history. Therefore, our focus and hope naturally falls on the next generation to continue to build the Kingdom.

This article has two parts. Part One offers useful principles and methods– the ones we applied at every age and stage in raising our own children. Part Two chronicles practical activities and ideas we applied at specific stages, and these are divided into three categories– infants and toddlers, younger children, and older children.

Part One: Principles for All Ages

In a worst-case scenario, immediate obedience could be a matter of life and death, as one small act of disobedience could endanger the entire group. Self-control is of paramount importance not only for safety but also for harmonious living with others. Good stewardship of personal health likewise affects self and others, especially in tight living quarters. Responsible use of resources is vital, and, as the saying goes, attitude is everything. The following ideas, which are not age-specific, all bear these facts in mind:

  1. By far the most valuable “cache” we created was the Word of God, buried deep within the hearts of our children. A wise pastor once suggested we commit to memory not just verses but rather entire chapters and books. This turned out to be surprisingly easy with a simple routine implemented at an early age. We began our experiment by selecting one of the shorter books from the New Testament. We simply recited, out loud, one verse at a time before each meal. We started this before most of our children were old enough to read, as memorization is primarily auditory. (You recall those silly TV jingles you heard repeatedly as a child and can still bring to mind at the mention of just the first couple of words or notes.) As each verse was mastered, we tacked on another to our pre-meal ritual, until a chapter had been memorized almost effortlessly, at which time we all celebrated with a big treat and moved on to the next chapter. In less than a year, our two oldest children could jump on their beds and recite the entire book. (This resulted in almost 30 minutes of welcomed reprieve for Mama, who could get chores done knowing her kids were engaged in a safe activity that built character as well as mental and physical fitness.) This skill served our children well throughout their academic years and was also used to memorize other edifying writings—some of them extremely long—all with minimal effort.
  2. Equally important has been our commitment to daily devotions as a family, which we view as our duty and privilege but which also has innumerable practical benefits. Subjects like emergency medicine, food rationing, and defensive drills can be scary for children, but daily prayer to the One who provides wisdom and protection helps us keep things in perspective, building faith rather than fear. We constantly remind ourselves and one another that should our children ever find themselves separated from their family in a stressful situation, they are not truly alone.

    Our devotions include the singing of psalms, which over the years have created another cache of resources for times of stress. Once, while on an unexpectedly difficult hike out of the Grand Canyon with friends from church, our oldest daughter decided to sing the psalms to help keep her mind off the pain. We later learned from one of the elders in our church, a non-hiker who found himself in a world of hurt during the hike, that he would have given in to the pain and simply quit, had he not been able to listen to this “angel” singing the psalms the whole way out.

  3. From birth we tried to make our children a part of every activity, from chores to work to study. Infusing all our preparedness activities with a sense of fun and games created enthusiastic buy-in. My kids became adept at and now enjoy using the Food Saver, dehydrating foods, preparing healthy meals, reading articles on preparedness, practicing first aid, attending firearms safety courses, seeing who can use the smallest towel to dry off after a shower, et cetera.
  4. Training in self-control and sexual purity began in infancy during diaper changing times, when a gentle “No” from Mama taught our babies to lie still and keep curious fingers where they belong. As children grew, frank discussions about the devastating outcomes we witnessed from the poor choices made by other teens cultivated in our children their own desire for chastity. Knowing that our family’s retreat will likely include as many children as adults, we are trusting God that this lifelong training will minimize the chance that promiscuity will disrupt an already stressful living environment.
  5. We removed sugar from our diets once we started having children. This not only reduced medical bills and fostered healthy eating habits, but it also made it possible to use simple things like raisins or homemade fruit ice cream as treats. It’s amazing how far you can stretch the goodies when a lollipop is measured in terms of licks rather than bites. Since these types of treats were easy and plentiful, our kids grew up thinking we were the most generous parents in the world when it came to showering them in goodies, and they never felt deprived. This changed somewhat as they unavoidably spent more time in the world of candy bars and Doritos and learned of our ruse. However, an important appreciation for healthy food had already been well inculcated by then.
  6. Serving others has been another attitude and skill set we tried to develop through the years. As a family, we have made it a point to make things, like picking up litter, harvesting local fruit and delivering it to food banks, or playing Secret Santa year around for a single working mother fun outings that the kids enjoyed. (We even stealthily sneaked in during the day and left a clean house and a meal in the fridge, and then giggled the rest of the year every time we run into this person.) At birthday time, each family member gets to choose a service project we all participate in, helping keep the focus on other people rather than on self. We pray this will help them as young adults be prepared to wisely but joyfully share their food when they themselves might be hungry.
  7. Finally, getting rid of our television and making the outdoors their playground allowed our children to become accustomed to healthy play that challenged body and mind, at all ages. Whether we were in the mountains or in the city, they came to enjoy activities, like making homemade bows, arrows, and targets; engaging in Airsoft gun fights; constructing shelters, teepees, and miniature homesteads; playing Hide-and-Seek; growing larger and larger gardens; and exploring the neighborhood for edible plants and fruits. These all translated into practical skills that could be useful in a retreat setting. We also look for opportunities to pursue physical fitness as a family. We’ve recently begun to participate in Spartan Races, which are elaborate obstacle and endurance races that promote rigorous training of body and mind at age-appropriate levels. (See www.spartan.com)

Letter Re: So You Think Starting a Garden Will Be Easy After

Greetings Jim & Hugh:

I read with interest the SurvivalBlog postings “So You Think Starting a Garden Will Be Easy After TEOTWAWKI” by Dr. Prepper and was very happy to see a modicum of analytical insight on the concept of growing a garden for sustenance. Too often the “idea” of having a garden lulls us into a feeling of self-sufficiency, while the produce derived from this garden would be woefully inadequate for proper family sustenance, if the S truly HTF. Of course, growing one’s own food in any capacity is admirable. However, Dr. Prepper’s analysis of caloric necessity derived from one’s garden on a day-to-day basis was eye-opening and helpful.

I wanted to perhaps offer some additional experience of my own regarding the maximization of a garden’s food-producing potential from the standpoint of someone who has constraints on the amount of area to devote to planting a high-yielding garden (ie: semi-urban environments and small property area). I simply do not have sufficient room to grow multiple 50-foot rows of beans and corn. While caloric output from a garden is an essential consideration in its ability toward self-sufficiency, it is not the only vector of importance. Sometimes, simply the production of large quantities of food in a limited space might be of the important survival consideration. What follows are my own thoughts and conclusions based upon my own gardening experience, with emphasis strictly on the maximization of food output from the smallest amount of area to work with:

1) Emphasis should be given to root-type vegetables when working with a limited sized garden. Carrots, beets, turnips, rutabagas, and parsnips are easy to grow and can be densely planted, offering foods which are readily amenable toward canning the excess once harvested. Of these, beets and turnips have the greatest “bang for your buck”, since both the roots AND the greens are edible and nutritious.

2) While Winter (ie: hard) squash were touted in Dr. Prepper’s articles as a good source of caloric value, I wanted to also mention the value of summer squash (ie: green and gold zucchini, crookneck, et cetera). In contrast to winter squash, whose plants require a LOT of area to grow and meander, summer squash plants maintain about a 3-4 foot spherical radius per plant, making them ideal for a limited area setting. Additionally, each plant can continuously produce a HUGE amount of food throughout the season (especially if the fruits are allowed to achieve large size). Lastly, although the prevailing wisdom seems to argue against it, summer squash IS amenable toward canning in my experience, allowing for the safe storage of excess harvest for the leaner months. My own observations are that summer squash plants BY FAR out-produce the amount of food produced by winter squash plants.

3) Dependent on the species and growing season, tomato and cucumber plants can produce the densest harvest per square foot of almost any other plant. Additionally, excess tomatoes can be canned, whole or as sauce, in order to preserve the nutritive value for the winter when there is no harvest available.

I mention these points not to disagree with the well-thought-out article by Dr. Prepper, but rather to offer additional insight (based on personal experience) into how one might go about maximizing food production from one’s garden in the event of TEOTWAWKI, when one’s life (and the lives of family members) will truly be dependent upon what sustenance can be derived from the loam which is beneath us. -SF

News From The American Redoubt:

John Kitzhaber’s Jihad. – RBS

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A look at Idaho’s campus gun law from a liberal, higher educator’s view. I find it interesting that they are questioning the constitutionality of the law. Outgunned, for Now

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GOP Boosts Libertarian ‘Spoiler’ in Montana

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Montana felons can’t own firearms after serving time, probation

How, exactly, is a convicted felon, who has served his time and probation going to defend himself? Or, is the court suggesting that the state will maintain guardianship and guarantee his protection? Or, is a convicted felon who has served his time no longer considered a man with unalienable rights, according to the constitution?

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Idaho Medal of Honor recipient dies at age 87

Odds ‘n Sods:

After Ferguson, how should police respond to protests?. – D.C.

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A very disturbing new Army manual: U.S. Army Techniques Publication 3-39.33: Civil Disturbances . – J.H.

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Another Bloomberg mayor bites the dust. Mayor with Bloomberg gun control group charged with bribery. – N.G.

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In a strange twist, the Middle East is advising protestors in Ferguson. Advice for Ferguson’s Protesters From the Middle East. – CDV

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More Than Just Your Papers, Please … – T.P.

Notes for Monday – August 18, 2014

A recent web search showed that the words “free press credentials” mostly resulted in listings for a few commercial sites that are selling flaky press passes. Sadly, our own spin-off site, The Constitution First Amendment Press Association (CFAPA.org), which provides free press credentials that are legitimate didn’t even make Google’s first page of search results. 🙁 To cure this under-representation, any readers who have personal web sites or blogs are encouraged to make a mention CFAPA.org, with a link, and include the words “free press credentials” in their post. Many thanks, folks!

On a related note: Police in Ferguson, Missouri recently ordered people to turn off their cell phone cameras. The legitimate response to these situations: Just politely say “no” to police who don’t respect the First Amendment.

Guest Article: The Very Important Role of CHARCOAL in TEOTWAWKI, by J.W.

1

Okay, the Schumer has hit the fan, and we are in TEOTWAWKI times. A family member or your group member (or several) has had a major medical occurrence– an event that has drained much or all of your antibiotic supply and many of your medicines. Then what will you do when you or someone you know receives a poisonous snake, spider, or insect bite? Or, what will you do when perhaps someone is experiencing food poisoning, cholera, jaundice, bacterial infections, ulcers, or has a badly infected wound at a time when your medicine cabinet is all but empty?

I want to propose that if you haven’t already, you need to become acquainted with the use of ACTIVATED CHARCOAL (and regular charcoal). Charcoal is an adsorbant. No, I didn’t misspell the word. Charcoal doesn’t absorb; it adsorbs. Technically, that means that it causes a substance to form on its surface, as opposed to absorb, which means to soak up or to take it up. What does charcoal adsorb? Poisons and toxins; that’s its specialty. It’s important to mention here that when talking about the role of charcoal in healing, this does not include charcoal briquettes used in grilling food, and it is NOT the black stuff on burnt toast, which is not charcoal at all.

Many of the uses of activated charcoal have been discovered in Third World countries when, faced with serious medical situations WITH NO AVAILABLE DOCTOR OR NURSE, charcoal was used as a last-ditch effort to remedy the condition. In many instances the results were short of astounding.

Charcoal is rated by the U.S Food & Drug Administration as Category 1: safe and effective for acute and toxic poisoning. Hospitals throughout the U.S. have charcoal in their ER’s. It has no known poisonous side effects.

What is so wonderful about the health and healing process is that the good Lord has provided us with so many means of bringing us (and our animals, too) back to health: antibiotics, drugs, medicines, herbs, and many alternative healing modalities. The sole purpose of this article is to urge you to add charcoal to that list. It has most definitely carved out its niche in vital life-saving situations.

Hopefully, by now, you have decided that you want to know more about charcoal’s uses and, perhaps, even begin to experiment with it. At this point I’d like to point you in the direction of several great books on the topic. The best book to start with has an unusual title. The title of the book is: Charcoal Remedies.com —The Complete Handbook of Medicinal Charcoal & Its Applications. The author—John Dinsley—had lived and traveledRx: Charcoal – Startling new facts about the world’s most powerful clinical adsorbent extensively in Third World countries and participated in many of these serious health conditions where no doctor or nurse was available. Not only does the book include a great section on the science and history of charcoal and the details of using charcoal but is also filled with anecdotal stories of its use. Mr. Dinsley also has a corresponding web site for charcoal called—you guessed it: www.charcoalremedies.com. His web site includes a newsletter, known as the “Charcoal Times”, which includes further examples of uses that people have had and want to share with others.

Two or three additional books you might want to consider to round out your information on the topic would be:

The last book listed pertains to charcoal’s role in amending soils, especially dry soils with low fertility. Charcoal has the ability to hold moisture and nutrients, thereby preventing them from leaching away. Regardless of my enthusiasm over this topic, I have no personal attachment to any web site or any of the books mentioned above. This is just an attempt to assist my fellow preppers.

Lastly, I will close with a story of my own personal experience in using activated charcoal. Four or five years ago, I noticed one day that I acquired a tooth abscess, which was no shock to me. The red streak was already progressing upward. In my childhood years, the “4 Basic Food Groups” that I ate were: pop, chips, candy, and ice cream. Even though, in my adult years, I’m thoroughly committed to healthy eating, I’m still bearing the consequences of those early years. Before I called to make an appointment with the dentist, I decided to take an empty tea bag and placed about a teaspoon of activated charcoal in it. I then folded down the open side several times, sealing the charcoal in. I placed it between my lip and my gum, setting it right over the abscess. I took a sip of water and held it in my mouth, tilting my head so that the tea bag would get very moist. I did that about three times, to make sure the charcoal was laden with water, and I held that tea bag in my mouth for six or seven hours. When I took the tea bag out, the abscess was gone– not partially gone but completely gone! I know that you’re still supposed to go to a dentist anyway, but I thought I’d wait until I noticed any further problems. There were no further problems. Two months ago (which is 4-5 yrs. after the abscess) I had a thorough dental exam, including full-mouth x-rays, and nothing was indicated as a problem on that side of the mouth. To repeat: I am not advocating that you omit the role of the dentist when it comes to a tooth abscess; I should have gone. However, in TEOTWAWKI times, there may be no dentist.

You need to educate yourself about how to use charcoal and how NOT to use it. You need to learn how to make charcoal and store some up. Activated charcoal is more effective in medicinal uses but has to be purchased, as the production of it can’t occur in ordinary environments. As with anything, there is a learning curve. These recommended books should do a pretty good job of educating you on charcoal’s role in health and healing. Good luck! God’s blessings to all.

HJL Adds: Most Emergency Medical Services no longer use or advocate activated charcoal, but it is important to understand why. EMS is concerned with getting the patient to a health care facility where long-term and intensive/invasive care can be performed. EMS deals with relatively short transport times. In all topical cases, activated charcoal will not have enough time to do any good in an EMS environment. The one area where it can do good is in the case of poisonings. Unfortunately, activated charcoal, while not toxic, disturbs the digestive system and almost always results in emisis (throwing up). In the short transport times involved in EMS, the emisis actually is a greater concern, because it is usually aspirated, causing additional problems. In Austere medicine scenarios, the value of activated charcoal is much higher than in an EMS situation. Just be prepared for the emisis, if the charcoal is ingested.

Scot’s Product Review: SUN OVENS International All American Solar Oven

I’ve already written about solar cooking (and plan to continue writing about solar stuff), but I will try not to repeat too much from the last review in this one. That said, there was some good generic information there, and you might want to refer back to it .

As I continue on this trail, I have come to the All American Solar Oven http://www.sunoven.com/. It is a very high quality, made in the USA product that works extremely well. SUN OVENS is a long time player in the field. The original Sun Ovens came on the market in 1986, so they have been around for 28 years. I was impressed with the firm’s history when I read their “about us” page. I liked the fact that they go back to the beginning and credit the original inventor, Tom Burns, and describe the process of developing the oven. I was fascinated that they got help from the Sandia National Laboratory to improve the oven. Sandia is well known for energy and weapons research.

Paul M. Munsen, the company’s president today, took over making the ovens in 1998 from Burns. He had originally gotten involved in helping market them, having been excited by how much solar cooking could help people in the third world. Munsen spends a lot of time promoting the use of solar cooking, and a significant amount of the firm’s income subsidizes solar ovens used by poor people around the world. Munsen says “We believe there is a lot to be said for free enterprise and seek to take a private sector approach to helping solve problems, which people think should be addressed by governments and nonprofit organizations.” He adds that they seek to help entrepreneurs make and sell SUN OVENS in the country where they will be used.

So what is this thing like? Think of a 19.5”x19.5” box that sits about 15” high in the back and 9” high in the front. It has folding, aluminum, 22-gauge, reflector panels on top that stick out about 1.5” on each side. They protect the glass door on the oven when they are collapsed. I really appreciated how they folded over the edges to make the panels sturdier, as well as to cover the sharp edges. The reflectors fold out into a square with 32” sides. The whole thing is then about 30” tall in the back, but when you tilt it to aim at the sun, it can get taller.

The cooking chamber is 14” square, about 11” deep in the back, and 8” deep in the front. You can get a turkey into it if you need to. When you fold it up, there is a strap to secure the reflectors and a folding handle to carry it around like a suitcase. It weighs about 23 pounds, so it isn’t hard to move, but it is a bit bulky and certainly not suitable for backpacking.

The cooking chamber has a thick glass door, and there is an excellent seal around the opening to keep the heat in. Two clamps pull the door tightly shut. With the included thermometer, you can monitor the oven temperature, which is very important. The tightly sealed cooking compartment is one of the keys to this oven’s efficiency.

On the back of the oven, there is a retractable leg that helps you tilt the oven as needed for aiming it at the sun. You also get some stakes to help anchor the legs, should you have wind problems.

On the top of the oven, attached to the glass door, you get SUN OVENS E-Z Sun-Track Indicators, which make it a snap to keep it aimed precisely. They are one of my favorite features of the oven. You can aim it by its shadow, but I found using the indicators really helped maximize the heat in the oven.

My other favorite feature is the Levelator cooking rack. It is ingenious and simple. It is a wire rod rack that hangs from two bolts in the cooking chamber. Remember aiming the thing at the sun? That often involves tilting the oven, and tilting pots full of food isn’t a good plan. What the Levelator does is swing, so that what you are cooking stays horizontal. I think being able to tilt the oven towards the sun offers a major improvement in cooking speed, and it would be tough to do it without this feature..

The All American Solar Oven is, by the way, an improvement of the firm’s Global Solar Oven, which is marketed outside the U.S. The All American has a 20% larger cooking compartment, a thicker glass cover for the oven, the E-Z Track aiming devices, a more versatile self-leveling cooking tray, and a better stand for aiming it. The improved stand is one of Munsen’s favorite features, as he said it reduces the chance of wind tipping the oven over and spoiling a meal.

The reflectors are made out of sturdy sheets of anodized aluminum and well attached to the top of the oven. They are polished on the reflector side and dull on the outside. The outer box is made of ABS plastic, and the inner shell is black, anodized aluminum. The top is poplar wood and nicely finished. There is a layer of insulation between the inner and outer shells, which retains heat and keeps you from burning yourself when you pick up the box. They use a food grade fiberglass for the insulation.

As I mentioned in the last review, I have some concerns about the visibility of solar cookers at a distance. Something I would do if I owned this oven is paint the back of the reflectors in a subdued color. The oven arrives with the polished side of the reflector panels covered with a protective film, so they would be protected if you paint the backs of the reflector panels before removing the film to deploy the oven. You also might want to consider a sheltered area with blocking vegetation or a fence, though you don’t want them to shadow the oven. Someone above you, though, will still probably see it if they are at the right angle.

The kit I tested included the Dehydrating and Preparedness Accessory Package and goes for $399.00 with shipping included. Besides the oven, you get three racks that can be used to dehydrate food and two, nice, Granite Ware, three-quart, roaster pots. One of the pots has a glass lid that is very helpful for some foods, as you can keep an eye on it while it cooks. The other has the standard metal lid. You also get two loaf pans and a roll of parchment paper, which is handy for some dishes. Then there are Water Pasteurization Indicators (WAPI), like the one I wrote about with the last oven. It has wax inside that melts at the temperature you need water to reach for safe drinking. Heating the water until the wax melts and shifts to the other end kills the bugs in the water. You haven’t, however, removed chemicals, so you may still need to filter the water.

One big plus that comes with the All American Sun Ovens is the Cook’n software. It starts out as a recipe program that allows cooks to easily grab recipes online and organize them as they see fit. SUN OVENS populates it for you with a number of nice recipes that work in solar cookers as well as the oven instructions and tons of helpful information on using the oven. There are links for their videos as well. There is also a Preparedness for Life series with links to videos and presentations that offer some advice and tools for organizing one’s preps.

I have been testing it in the same time period as the last one I wrote about, so I will repeat my whine about the weather not cooperating. We got a lot of mid-day cloudiness and early afternoon thunderstorms in late June and July. We normally get the cloudiness and storms later in the day at this time of year, so this really impinged on my cooking time. I did finally figure out that I could put the ovens out as early as 8 AM and start cooking at 9 AM and get some meals done before the weather went bad. I had read elsewhere that solar cooking is best done between 10 AM and 2 PM but discovered you can still do a lot of cooking earlier and later if the sun is out. SUN OVENS does say that you get more cooking hours in the summer than the winter, which makes sense. That said, they have reports of ice fishermen in Minnesota using them with success along with an expedition to the Himalayas.

There are, besides cloudy days, some drawbacks to solar cooking. First, it’s not so hot for breakfast. You just don’t get enough sun early enough for that. One recipe I read suggested that you can cook up a batch of oatmeal and refrigerate it for later use. That’s a good plan if you have refrigeration. You can do the same with bacon. Another suggestion was to simply enjoy breakfast foods at different times of day, and I have to admit to liking that idea a lot.

Another drawback is how much you can fit into the oven. You can get a large stew or other one pot meal done easily. Since the Granite Ware pots will stack, you can cook two things at once, if you want to have several courses and have a large family, you might need more than one oven. It’s also hard to cook several items with different heat and time requirements as anytime you open the oven to add or remove something, you lose a lot of heat. Planning will help, though.

I think it would be hard to sterilize enough water for very many people with one oven, especially if you are trying to cook with it too. SUN OVENS suggested using one quart canning jars for water pasteurization, which worked quite well, but the oven only holds six of them. That’s not enough for even two people a day in a hot climate. Again, this points to wanting more than one oven for multiple people. I’m really not much of a cook; I’m more of a direction follower, so I was surprised that I was able to make some good meals and dishes with solar cooking. Normally, I mix ingredients, set the oven temperature, and leave it in for the specified length of time. Solar cookers depend on a variable heat source, so the heat varies and the cooking time will too. Thankfully, there are a lot of things you can cook that come out okay, even if you can’t use a set time to go by. Crock pot recipes, in particular, seem to work well. The one thing that has been eluding me is pasta. We like the stuff, but so far, I’ve managed to make paste, but I will keep trying and report back. Part of the problem has been forgetting about it, and letting it cook too long. That doesn’t work on the stove top, either.

As with the last oven I tested, baked potatoes came out great. I’m unlikely to ever want one from the microwave again.

Stews are a natural for the solar cooker. I found a recipe in the software that came with the oven that was a huge hit with everyone in my household, though I had to hold the vegetables for my nine-year-old. He was willing to eat around the dread carrots but drew the line at green beans or peas in the stew. Those he would eat separately but not in the stew. (sigh) My mother is looking down and laughing. The surprise ingredient in the recipe was coffee, by the way, so I knew I was going to like it. I left the stew in all day and the inexpensive, stringy stew meat I bought came out with a pleasing texture and flavor, just as it would have in an all-day cook in a crock pot.

A turkey loaf my wife picked up at the store also came out great. I used the thermometer I bought for solar cooking. It has a probe on a wire that can be placed inside the pot while the display unit remains outside the cooker and doesn’t melt. Combined with the built-in thermometer that monitors the temperature inside the oven, you can really stay on top of your cooking. The turkey was moist, succulent, and I think better than it would have been in the electric oven.

I found that I could easily hard boil eggs in the All American. Fresh eggs have been problematic for me when boiled in water, as they are usually very hard to peel. They peeled a lot easier from the solar cooker, but I also have to say that older eggs seemed a little harder to peel than when I boil them in water. Both methods led to tasty eggs, and I have to admit the fresher ones cooked in the solar oven were better than the older ones boiled in water. In short, you get a payback for working a little harder. Much of life is like that, though.

Hot dogs and other pre-cooked meats and foods were a breeze in the solar oven. You could also heat leftovers, but it was hard to walk past the microwave to use the solar oven for that purpose. I think a power outage, when I can’t run a generator, will change that attitude quickly.

There’s also a brownie recipe in the software that came with the oven. Brownies are a big deal here, and this recipe, cooked in the sun oven, was an enormous hit. I left off the butter and confectioner’s sugar drizzle, and I bet they would have been even better with it. Next time. We served them warm with vanilla ice cream. It took a bit longer than the suggested 30-40 minutes to cook, but I had the wrong size pan, and I made them thicker than recommended. They finished in a bit more than 45 minutes. I’m convinced that cooking at a lower temperature in the sealed up Sun Oven keeps them moister and nicer than they would have been in a conventional oven.

I’m sure someone would like for me to compare this oven and the last one. That would be like comparing apples and oranges. The last one was highly portable and light weight. This one is much bulkier, and while you can move it, it isn’t going to work for backpacking. This one is a much more efficient at cooking for a number of reasons. The tightly-sealed cooking chamber that is heat absorbing black makes most of the difference, but the aiming system is also important, as is the insulation. If you are going to be at a base, this one will cook more and do it faster. If you are on foot, you are going to need something that is much more compact and lighter. This one does cost more, but the extra cookware and the software are a big plus. They also include free shipping. I really like both ovens and see a place for each of them, but for cooking at home, I really want this one. For campouts, I want the other one. Having both of them would really multiply how much you could get done in a crisis.

A solar oven is not going to cook all of your meals, but it can make a big dent in your need for fuel. It makes no noise, and you have to be aware of its reflections, but I think it is an important tool. I really liked this oven and hope to be able to afford to keep it. We really enjoyed using it in our day to day lives, but I could well see it being a big help in a grid down scenario.

Some of the websites I found useful while working with solar cooking:

– SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor, Scot Frank Erie

Recipe of the Week: Fried Tilapia, from Mrs. Latimer

This easy and popular recipe can also be used for pan frying catfish and other small fish, but our family prefers tilapia or trout. We have to make a tall platter full, because it is a crowd pleaser in our home. It’s very easy. I usually make this recipe using coconut oil, used for frying the fish and also (with a little more oil sometimes added) a batch of Sweet Hush Puppies. To make the Southern Sweet Hugh Puppies combine two eggs, 1/2 cup of sugar (or less, if you don’t like your cornbread to be sweet), a large finely chopped onion, a cup of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, a pinch of cream of tartar, a cup of cornmeal, and a pinch of salt; then the batter is dropped by a spoon into hot oil and fried until golden brown. Add sides of a rice dish (saffron?) and almond green beans or a baked potato and salad; voila! You’ve got a fine feast. Here’s how to fry the fish:

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 1/2 cups finely ground cornmeal
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 tsp. Cajun seasoning
  • 2+ cups coconut or other vegetable oil, for frying
  • 1-2 pounds tilapia fillets (or other fish fillets)

Directions:

  1. In a small bowl, combine milk and lemon juice. Let sit on counter at least five minutes, while assembling other ingredients.
  2. In a gallon-sized Ziploc bag, combine cornmeal, flour, and Cajun seasoning.
  3. Add salt and pepper to the milk/lemon juice mixture. (This is my homemade buttermilk substitute; you may use buttermilk instead, though).
  4. Rinse the fillets in water and then drop them into the milk mixture, coating well. Let them sit in the buttermilk mixture.
  5. Put coconut oil (or vegetable oil) in cast iron skillet and heat to approximately 365 degrees Fahrenheit. (Use enough oil for there to be a minimum of 1/2 inch of oil in your skillet. Larger skillets may require more than two cups of oil and may be able to fry more than three fillets at a time.)
  6. Remove three fillets from the milk mixture and put into the Ziploc bag. Gently roll the bag to coat the fillets well.
  7. Place fillets in hot oil and fry about three minutes; turn over and fry a minute or two on other side, until golden.
  8. Remove fillets to paper toweling to drain.
  9. Repeat the process of removing fillets from milk, coating with cornmeal mixture, and frying, three at a time.
  10. Fry Hush Puppies, if desired, as described above.
  11. Enjoy crispy-coated, moist fish!

o o o

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

Letter Re: Readiness Matrix

Every so often one of your contributors writes an article that hits one out of the ballpark, as in the case of the Readiness Matrix by BKB. This well thought out and well-written article made me think, which is a miracle in itself. I reread it several times, and the simple truth was undeniable. Also, it was not an attempt to take a “selfie”, like our current White House resident does most of the time. It was a simple but refreshing article. This is why I enjoy this site and also why it is in my mind “the place” to get great information for just about any topic you could imagine on Survival. Kudos to Hugh. You got my six. Keep write-ups like this one for the baseline.

John in NV