Preparedness Notes for Monday — May 15, 2023

On May 15,1859, Physical chemist Pierre Curie, co-winner of the 1903 Nobel Prize for Physics, (along with his wife, Marie Curie), was born in Paris.

Today is also the birthday of Evelyn Ernest Owen (15 May 1915 – 1 April 1949) He was an Australian who developed the Owen submachine gun which was used by the Australian Army in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

On May 15th, 1942, gasoline rationing began in 17 Eastern states as an attempt to help the American war effort during World War II.

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Today’s feature is a review by SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson.

EdgePro Apex 4 Knife Sharpening Kit, by Thomas Christianson

Many people know the theory of how to sharpen a knife. One needs only to sweep each side of the edge of a blade over a whetstone at a consistent angle until the edge is honed to perfection.

The problem is that it is extremely difficult to put that theory into practice. Few people can hold a knife at a consistent angle as they run it over a whetstone. I am not one of the skillful few who can hand sharpen a knife well.

I recently tested a tool that makes me feel like a knife-sharpening pro. It is the EdgePro Apex 4 Knife Sharpening Kit. I was able to get excellent results on three “problem” knives that had frustrated my attempts to sharpen them using other sharpening methods. With a price at the time of this writing of $285 at www.edgeproinc.com, the Apex 4 Kit is worth every penny. I highly recommend this excellent tool to anyone who sometimes struggles to get a good edge on a knife.Continue reading“EdgePro Apex 4 Knife Sharpening Kit, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week: Spanikopita

The following recipe for Spanikopita is from SurvivalBlog reader Mrs. Alaska.

She writes:  This recipe is adapted from one in the wonderful book, The Boreal Forest, by Beverly Gray.

While traditional spanakopita is made with spinach, feta cheese, and phyllo pastry, the fact is that the filling can be made with ANY cookable leafy green (wild or domesticated) and any cheese. The phyllo, too, can be replaced with pie crust (so it would then be a quiche) or topped with biscuits, or spread over puff pastry.

For the spanakopita:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix together 2 cups of feta (or other cheese), 2 cups of cottage (or other) cheese, 5 eggs, 2 TBS of flour or corn starch, herbs and seasonings of choice —  such as salt, pepper, oregano, and basil. I also add the juice and zest of one lemon.

In a wide pan, on low heat, wilt 5 cups of chopped greens with NO WATER. Traditionally, this is spinach, but I have also used dandelion, cabbage, and mixed leaves of beets, turnips, mustard, radish, lamb’s quarter, broccoli, and cauliflower. Obviously, the flavor will vary but the texture will not.

Add the wilted greens to the cheese mixture.

To make with phyllo:

Melt a stick of butter.

Butter a 9 x 12 baking pan.

Unroll a package of phyllo and cover the sheets so they will not dry out as you work.

One at a time, layer about 8 leaves of pastry, buttering each one. Then spread half or all of the greens/cheese mixture. Top with another 8 leaves of pastry, each one buttered, or insert an intermediate layer of phyllo if you wish.

Bake, uncovered for 45 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.

STORAGE

This freezes well and reheats well. I love it for breakfast with a fried egg on top.

Alternatives include pre-baking a pie shell or puff pastry and then topping them with the cheese/greens mixture and cooking for another 20 minutes for the thinly topped puff pastry or 40 minutes for the quiche.

Mrs. Alaska writes a blog about her off-grid life in remote Alaska.

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Do you have a well-tested recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long-term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven recipes, slow cooker recipes, and any recipes that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

 

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, a closer look at the natural gas and propane markets. (See the Commodities section.)

Precious Metals:

Silver prices surprise with a 5% selloff, but its structural bull market remains in place – analysts.

o  o  o

At Gold-Eagle.com: Gold Forecast – Fiscal Crisis and the Next Great Depression by 2030.

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Drainage: China’s New Gold Wallet Will Suck the West Dry. (A hat tip to H.L. for the link.)

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And speaking of China, see this video: Massive FAKE Silver Scam Operation – BUYER BEWARE.

Economy & Finance:

Tracking regulatory changes in the Biden era.

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Why Does the Federal Reserve Target 2% Inflation?

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Buyer of Failed Silicon Valley Bank Reports $9.5 Billion Profit Following Acquisition.

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Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Warren Buffett Warns: The “Incredible Period” For The US Economy Is Ending.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“It appears that the murder rate inside prisons is ten times higher than that outside prisons. It must be due to all those Kalashnikov rifles that are issued to prisoners upon their incarceration.”- Col. Jeff Cooper

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — May 14, 2023

May 14th, 1686 was the birthday of Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, who invented the thermometer.

On May 14th, 1948, in Tel Aviv, Jewish Agency Chairman David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the State of Israel, reestablishing the Jewish state after 2000 years. In an afternoon ceremony at the Tel Aviv Art Museum, Ben-Gurion pronounced the words “We hereby proclaim the establishment of the Jewish state in Palestine, to be called Israel,” prompting applause and tears from the crowd gathered at the museum. Ben-Gurion became Israel’s first Prime Minister.

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Today’s feature article is too short for consideration as an entry for Round 106 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. It was authored by “Mr. Alaska.”  You may recall that Mr. & Mrs. Alaska live off-grid in the Alaska bush, and that Mrs. Alaska blogs at: Alaska Bush Life, Off-Road, Off-Grid.

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.

Barter Networks as an Alternative to CBDCs, by Mr. Alaska

My wife and I have bartered our business talents for products and services over many years. Some have been bilateral exchanges with a single party. Others were through a barter network of many people. A sample of products we received in trade include an old 4-wheel drive truck, a new .338 Weatherby rifle, a kayak, 6 solar panels (and the associated expensive mounting frame), and $1,500 worth of meals at a favorite Mexican restaurant. We have also traded services for stock in a number of small companies. On informal bases, we trade goods with friends and neighbors, such as our honey for horseradish plants or our raspberry canes for flowering bushes.

A final example is that we have invited people to our remote home in Alaska who want a “workcation” in which they provide several hours a day of labor. Instead of paying them in cash, we teach skills of their interest (such as beekeeping and foraging), host them in our guest cabin, and provide round-trip transportation from a nearby city in our float plane.

Because so many post-apocalyptic books extol the virtues of barter, and because many people are currently concerned about the implications of the planned introduction of digital currency, I thought I would outline some advantages and disadvantages of bartering between companies or individuals, whether through larger barter networks or simple bilateral trades, based on our actual experience.Continue reading“Barter Networks as an Alternative to CBDCs, by Mr. Alaska”

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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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”