JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

Meme Text:

There are an Estimated 30 Trillion Cells in a Human Body
And Every Somatic Cell is Encoded Either XX or XY. So Don’t Try to Tell Me That Gender Can Be “Fluid”, or You’ll Quack Me Up

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” – 2 Timothy 4: 1-8 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — May 13, 2023

May 13th is the birthday of firearms engineer Theodor Koch (born 1905, died 1976.) Koch, along with Edmund Heckler and Alex Seidel salvaged tooling from the bombed-out Mauser factory at Oberndorf, Germany, and with it founded Heckler und Koch (“HK”).

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 106 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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.
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  4. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. EBL is providing an EBL Voyager 500-Watt Power Station with deep cycle lithium batteries, providing reliable 120 Volt AC and DC (12 Volt and USB) power for emergencies or outdoor use. (A $399 value.)
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $800,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 106 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Simple Home Logistics Planning Tips, by Kevin C.

One of the puzzles for people starting out in the business of being prepared is “How much?” How much sugar, flour, rice . . . do I need to have on hand? There are lots of sources that will provide planning figures for this, and in the absence of any other guidance, following them – at least partially at first – is a good idea. I did so. But these one-size-fits-all guides, as useful as they are, may not reflect your specific tastes and usages. Here is a method for arriving at a figure somewhat associated with your needs – based on your usage rates of the stuff you use.

A brief aside: During my Army career, I went to several schools. In the Army logistics planning system there were books (this was a while ago) with reference tables showing how many rounds of various kinds of ammunition or supplies to anticipate needing for a certain period of combat, with several levels of intensity shown in the tables. To make large-scale logistics plans, one would add up the number of type units (infantry, armor, or truck companies, or artillery batteries), and multiply by the usage factor from the table and time anticipated; if the table had a factor based on one week, multiply by the number of weeks anticipated. Note that each type of unit was a separate math problem: M1 Tank companies’ requirements were different, even in food, from those of M2 Bradley mech infantry companies or even M2 Bradley cavalry troops.Continue reading“Simple Home Logistics Planning Tips, by Kevin C.”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

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

Jim Reports:

I got a later-than-usual start to my firewood cutting season. Thusfar, I’ve been concentrating on deadfall trees. Thankfully, only one of those trees ended up on a fence — just its top — with no damage done to the fence. I’ve also marked about 20 more trees for felling, with flagging tape. They are all showing signs of any of the following: Dead-standing, broken tops, dead tops, sickly-looking, “leaners”, or grossly-bowed trunks. Most of those are firs, cedars, or larches. The largest one of those is only about 22 inches in diameter, so felling this year should be quite easy.  Next year, I may finally move on to thinning out some dobules and triples.

Early in the week, I slaughtered, de-winged, de-legged, decapitated, gutted, and skinned four roosters and two hens. One of the latter was known to be an egg-eater.  Lily finished up the clean-up on the birds, as usual.

Now, Lily’s report…

Avalanche Lily Reports:

Dear Readers,
The weather was quite rainy early in the week gradually becoming sunnier and warmer by the end of the week.

Not much happened this week because we went to town several times for Miss Violet’s last day of her mentorship, for a dental cleaning, other errands, and shopping.

Around the ranch, I re-rototilled the Main garden, I planted six more rows of potatoes, onions, cabbage, and sunflower seeds.

In the greenhouse, I planted more onion seeds, tomatoes, Honey Dew, cantaloupe, and watermelon seeds.

I reorganized my seed tote.  I had all of the seeds out in piles on the living room floor for about five days until I couldn’t stand it anymore and I finished reorganizing them and re-bagging them.  Then I continued that day as a nesting day in which I cleaned and reorganized the Great Room.  We had another oldish poofy couch that we acquired last year and decided that we didn’t like it too much, therefore, ditched it this week.  We have a futon couch that was in the great room and rearranged that and some chairs. It looks and quite nice in there now, not so cluttered and over-stuffed. Honestly, I would be happy just to have our Persian rug with some cushions on the floor, instead of all of our furniture and clutter that we have.  But that is not American culture…Our family, friends, and houseguests wouldn’t appreciate that too much… We have to somewhat “Keep up with the Joneses”.

For the first time ever, I pickled four dozen eggs this week.

Jim and I slept out in one of our tents again for two nights, hoping to see an Aurora that didn’t occur.

This week on our trips into town we listened to Psalms 50-98, Acts 17-25.

I have not done weight-lifting for the past two weeks because I have really sore muscles that I am allowing to heal as much as possible, despite garden work.  I’m quite bummed about it.

May you all have a very blessed and safe week.

– Avalanche Lily, Rawles

o o o

As always,  please share and send e-mails of your own successes and hard-earned wisdom and we will post them in the “Snippets” column this coming week.  We want to hear from you.

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“ The Lord reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved.

The Lord is great in Zion; and he is high above all the people.

Let them praise thy great and terrible name; for it is holy.

The king’s strength also loveth judgment; thou dost establish equity, thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob.

Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.

Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name; they called upon the Lord, and he answered them.

He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar: they kept his testimonies, and the ordinance that he gave them.

Thou answeredst them, O Lord our God: thou wast a God that forgavest them, though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions.

Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the Lord our God is holy.” – Psalm 99 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — May 12, 2023

In May of 1921 a solar storm began, dubbed The Great Geomagnetic Storm of May 1921. These were some of the headlines: “Telegraph Service Prostrated, Comet Not to Blame” — declared the Los Angeles Times on May 15, 1921. “Electrical Disturbance is ‘Worst Ever Known’” — reported the Chicago Daily Tribune. “Sunspot credited with Rail Tie-up” — in the New York Times.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 106 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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.
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  4. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. EBL is providing an EBL Voyager 500-Watt Power Station with deep cycle lithium batteries, providing reliable 120 Volt AC and DC (12 Volt and USB) power for emergencies or outdoor use. (A $399 value.)
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $800,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 106 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Solving the Hard Bean Problem with a Grain Mill, by Tunnel Rabbit

Beans are indeed, as the song goes, “a magical fruit”, yet not only because they make you toot, but because of their high protein content, and other nutrition they provide. However, along with the excellent nutritional value that comes with beans is a serious problem that plagues those who would use a large quantity of this dry staple good as a low-cost and long-term storage food. Peas and lentils–that are also legumes–do not have this same problem as do beans. It comes with age. Beans become increasing difficult to re-hydrate and cook as they age in storage, whether stored in their original plastic or heavy paper bags in the back of a closet, or in ideal conditions such as in a mylar bag with oxygen absorbers in plastic buckets located in a cool, dry place.

The better the method of storage, the longer the beans might remain viable as food. As a bean lover who regularly eats beans for breakfast, beans are a significant part of my diet. Therefore this problem is of greater significance than it would be for others who would only consume beans occasionally. And this is more of a problem for those who began to create their food storage as early as Y2K, or in anticipation of the 2008/9 financial crisis, and still have a considerable quantity of beans that would be more than 10 years old. The problem is compounded as we replaced old beans by newer stocks of beans by simply adding to our larder, as these too are also aging, and will soon reach the point where the normal means of cooking them, including the use of pressure cookers, no longer work well.

Some 10-year-old beans can still be made edible with several hours of cooking in a pressure cooker. Though digestible, these beans can still be considered slightly undercooked, or uncooked, and are not pleasing to the palate. To solve this problem, I broke out my Country Living Mill, and installed the bean and corn auger. The bean and corn auger also works with wheat, so it has replaced the auger that comes with the mill that is intended for smaller size grains only, such as wheat. I now use the ‘bean and corn’ auger for everything.Continue reading“Solving the Hard Bean Problem with a Grain Mill, by Tunnel Rabbit”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. Most of these items are from JWR’s “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective. Today, we look at inflation and deflation. (See the Inflation/Deflation Watch section.)

Precious Metals:

Gold to outperform silver this year as recession risks build, says Bloomberg Intelligence.

o  o  o

A very informative video: Why 90% “Junk” Silver Coin Prices are Out of Control!

o  o  o

Zimbabwe to issue a redeemable gold-backed digital currency: Buying RBZ’s Gold-Backed Digital Tokens; Here Is What You Need To Know.

o  o  o

Gold’s recent push near all-time highs was just a test run as Citigroup’s Morse sees prices hitting $2,400.

o  o  o

Avi Gilburt, at Gold-Eagle.com: How Many More Warnings Do You Need About The Danger In Banks?

Economy & Finance:

Some useful data: A list of the total Commercial Real Estate exposure of the 53 banks with greater than $10 billion in assets where their exposure exceeds 300% of total equity capital. Sixteen have exposures greater than 400% of equity.

o  o  o

Scope Ratings Places US Credit Ratings Under Review for Possible Downgrade.

o  o  o

Small Business Optimism Falls to Lowest Level in a Decade.

o  o  o

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Brian Kennedy: U.S. “Can’t Kick The Can Down The Road” Any Longer on Debt Ceiling Crisis.

o  o  o

Chart of the Day: Half of US Banks Are Underwater.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise, and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be the constant companion of your walk.” – Thomas Jefferson

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — May 11, 2023

On May 11, 1949, Israel was admitted into the United Nations.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 106 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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.
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  4. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. EBL is providing an EBL Voyager 500-Watt Power Station with deep cycle lithium batteries, providing reliable 120 Volt AC and DC (12 Volt and USB) power for emergencies or outdoor use. (A $399 value.)
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $800,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 106 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

 

A New Freeze Dryer – Part 3, by Captain Nemo

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.)

Testing the Food

There are a few ways to test for dryness of your foods. You can weigh the food before and after, and then put it back in for a 2-hour Extra Dry cycle and weigh it again. If it changed weight, then the food wasn’t dry. This also helps determine how much water is needed for rehydration. The next is a moisture meter, but that doesn’t always work on small foods like berries or peas. Another is to use a thermometer. If there’s ice still present the food will be colder than the food that’s dry. It’s impossible to tell using the thermal method unless the food came out right away after the cycle completed, as the dryer will continue to run the refrigeration system to try to keep the water vapor down. At that point, the food will freeze again and may pick up condensation when taken out. There is an option to warm the trays before removal to prevent that. The last is to taste-test it and/or guess. The food should be crispy and break like Styrofoam and when tasted should not be cold in the center. If anything is still wet, put it in for extra drying again. Sometimes it’s best to put it back in the freezer, defrost the dryer, and run it again.

Remember: One wet piece can ruin a whole batch, when packaged!Continue reading“A New Freeze Dryer – Part 3, by Captain Nemo”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column, we look at the ATF’s planned arm brace felony prosecutions.

Just 20 Days to Draconian Arm Brace Arrests

Unless Congress or the Supreme Court intervenes, the ATF’s announced reinterpretation of the National Firearms Act’s prohibition of short-barreled rifles (SBRs) will take effect on June 1st, 2023. They’ve been vacillating on this for more than 10 years. Meanwhile, no less than 8 million arm braces have been produced.  That means that in just 20 days, they will be creating 8+ million unconvicted felons. From what I’ve read, few owners of heretofore “approved” arm-braced pistols intend to amnesty-register or reconfigure their guns. ATF Director Steven Dettelbach gave testimony before congress that simply detaching an arm brace would obviate registration and avoid prosecution, but that contradicts both the wording of the ATF ruling and the ATF’s decades of prosecution referrals to owners of unassembled gun parts in proximity somehow signaling “constructive intent.”

Please contact your congressional representatives, and insist that they quickly nullify the ATF’s draconian ruling! They must support H.J. Resolution 44, which will stop the arm-braced pistol ban.

Hacker Extorts $1.1M in Ransom on California Sheriff’s Website

Police1 reports: Hacker extorts $1.1M in cyberattack on Califirnia sheriff’s website.
Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Three millions of People, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Beside, Sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of Nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us.” – Patrick Henry

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — May 10, 2023

May 10th is the birthday of the late Janis Pinups (born 1925, died 15 June 2007). He was one of the last of the Forest Brothers anti-communist resistance fighters. He came out of hiding, after five decades, to obtain a Latvian passport in 1994, after the collapse of Eastern European communism. (He was never issued any communist government identity papers and by necessity lived as a nonexistent “ghost” during the entire Soviet occupation of Latvia.) The history of the Forest Brothers movement certainly deserves more recognition.

May 10th is the birthday of the late Col. Jeff Cooper. He was born in 1920, and died September 25, 2006.

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We are pleased to welcome our newest advertiser, Chicken Scratch Books. They are a small homeschooling curriculum publisher that specializes in literature learning. They publish some great books and courses.  Take a look!

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 106 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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.
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  4. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. EBL is providing an EBL Voyager 500-Watt Power Station with deep cycle lithium batteries, providing reliable 120 Volt AC and DC (12 Volt and USB) power for emergencies or outdoor use. (A $399 value.)
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $800,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 106 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.