Notes from HJL:

I’m publishing a couple of odd and ends letters today that I’ve received over the past couple of weeks that I need help from our readership on.

Today we present two entries for Round 51 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $11,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. 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. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear,
  5. A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value),
  6. A $300 Gift Certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  7. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  8. A roll of $10 face value in pre-1965 U.S. 90% silver quarters, courtesy of GoldAndSilverOnline.com, (currently valued at around $225),
  9. Both VPN tunnel and DigitalSafe annual subscriptions from Privacy Abroad (a combined value of $195),
  10. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304,
  11. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit, and
  12. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate.

Second Prize:

  1. A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand,
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training. Together, these have a retail value of $589.
  3. A FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100 foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  4. $300 worth of ammo from Patriot Firearms and Munitions. (They also offer a 10% discount for all SurvivalBlog readers with coupon code SVB10P .),
  5. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  6. A full set of all 26 books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  7. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value),
  8. EP Lowers, makers of 80% complete fiber composite polymer lowers for the AR-15 rifles, is donating a $250 gift certificate,
  9. Autrey’s Armory — specialists in AR-15, M4s, parts, and accessories is donating a $250 gift certificate,
  10. 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,
  11. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate, and
  12. Organized Prepperis providing a $500 gift certificate.

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. A MURS Dakota Alert Base Station Kit with a retail value of $240 from JRH Enterprises,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances, and
  7. 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.

Round 51 ends on March 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.

Trading Posts of the New Frontier, by TCG

We have all heard the stories of the panicked rush on grocery stores by the unprepared masses at the onset of an emergency. Within a matter of a few hours even a so-called superstore can be picked clean of all worthwhile supplies. We all accept this as an inevitability when the SHTF, and this is why we prepare. Many may not know, however, that even after the shelves at the local store are bare there are still more resources that I believe will become available after TEOTWAWKI.

As soon as I was old enough to work I started bagging groceries at the local family-owned grocery store where my father worked. That store had a stock room with almost as much floor space as the front of the store, including a large walk-in cooler and freezer. The stock room and cold storage areas were always filled to the brim. We only got a delivery truck once or twice a week, and the truck generally had to travel a great distance from its origin to get to us. Several years later, the owners of that grocery store sold it to a larger chain. The new owners promptly closed the store for major remodeling. When we returned to work several months later, we employees were amazed by the changes that had been made. The floor space in the front of the store had been greatly expanded at the expense of the stock rooms. Now the back of the store consisted of a narrow hallway with only enough room for a few pallets of promotional or sale items and the cold storage areas had been greatly reduced as well. We soon found out that instead of one or two trucks a week, we received multiple trucks a day. The pallets that were unloaded were staged in the back hallway and almost immediately taken to the front to be stocked on the shelves. Gone were the days of checking in the back room for a customer request, because there was literally nothing in the back room! In the past, at the onset of one of the major winter storms that are common to the area, our store had plenty of products to sell to the panicked and unprepared for days, maybe even a week. Now, anything useful was gone in a few hours from the shelves with nowhere to resupply from. When the storm would hit, sometimes the store would be closed for days because the trucks could not safely make the trip to bring more food and supplies.

In the present, I work at a job in the transportation and logistics field that I have been at for almost a decade. One of the customers we service is the very same grocery chain that so drastically overhauled my hometown “mom and pop” grocer so many years before. Unfortunately, the trend towards the dependence of constant resupply versus stored, back-room stock that I first experienced at a young age is now the industry standard. Every large grocer, supercenter, retail outlet, and big box hardware chain store depend on multiple daily deliveries in order to keep the shelves stocked and the doors open. The trucks no longer travel cross country to grocery stores with their products, delivering once or twice a week. They come locally from massive centralized distribution centers (DCs) delivering multiple times a day. Working in my current career made me realize just how fragile this system of “just in time” delivery is. Any SHTF situation, from the highly likely scenario (such as inclement weather or a natural disaster) to more devastating events (such as an EMP or Marshall law), can and will disrupt the delivery cycle we have all come to depend upon. When the excrement hits the air conditioning, the store shelves will empty quickly without daily resupply and panic will ensue.

This short history lesson on my working life and supply chain tutorial may be insightful to some, but what does this have to do with preparedness and survival? The answer is the aforementioned DCs. These DCs have become the nation’s stockroom, each providing product support to hundreds of stores. Through my current career, I have been fortunate enough to be allowed to tour some of these DCs and have been blown away by many of them. The vast amount of provisions from canned goods, perishables, toiletries, and building supplies all housed under one roof would exceed any prepper’s wildest dreams.

When the SHTF, I am by no means advocating anyone run out and start looting their local Piggly Wiggly distribution center. I am also not advocating relying on the availability of any product, good, or service after the grid goes down. I believe that when things finally go south, the situation will initially be pretty terrible. Food will run out, water will stop flowing, and people will start dying. The people who have prepared will survive during this time off of their stored provisions, their self sufficiency, and their knowledge and skills. We would all like to be totally self sufficient, but not all of us are as prepared as we would like to be, for various reasons. When we are forced to live off our provisions, even the totally prepared will realize there are things they overlooked in their preparations. Finally, some supplies are simply not renewable. Eventually the terrible times will pass and the survivors will look toward rebuilding. At this time, I foresee the DCs as the new trading posts of America, akin to the ones of frontier days.

No doubt after the dust settles, panicked buying and thieves will have cleaned out the most obvious places containing supplies. But I believe many distribution centers will remain intact. Many DCs are located away from major population centers due to zoning laws and the need for a lot of real estate to facilitate large buildings and both semi truck and railroad access. Another way DCs will stay secure is anonymity. Many DCs have ambiguous names and signage that do not obviously state to the casual onlooker what the buildings contain. Most DCs are neutral colors and windowless, blending in like the gray man of the architectural world. Everyone knows where their local grocery or hardware stores are located, but not many can tell you where the distribution centers for those stores are at. By nature of the millions of dollars of inventory they contain, many DCs are very secure buildings that are not easily accessed by unauthorized people. Most have multiple sets of steel doors that must be opened before entering the warehouse proper. Many are surrounded by tall fences topped with razor wire. Some even have natural or geographical obstacles that make them inaccessible to even the most determined thief. During a hurricane several years ago, a DC my company services went so far as to block entrances with semi trailers to deter looting in case the area was devastated. Even though most DCs house product intended for stores owned by national chains, many distribution centers themselves are locally owned and operated. If widespread panic broke out, it would be safe to assume that many of the local owners of these well-stocked DCs would be present to protect their property and livelihood. This owner protection further insures the survival of many DCs and availability of assets for rebuilding after TEOTWAWKI.

I am fortunate enough to know where many distribution centers are located due to my career. Without working in the logistics industry, most would not possess this knowledge off hand or would have incomplete knowledge of distribution centers in their area. Even after almost ten years in logistics I am still often surprised to find new DCs in my area that I didn’t even know existed. There are many ways to find DCs in your area, with one of the simplest being to pay attention to the semi trucks. Where are the long haul sleeper trucks delivering to and where are the short haul daycab trucks picking up at? Keep track of the company names on the trucks you see. If you see a lot of the same company, it could mean there is a DC in your area. Also, listen to the CB radio on the trucker channels. Besides the often colorful and humorous stories you will hear, many truck drivers will talk to each other about where they are going, where they have been, and what they are hauling. If you suspect you have found a DC location, scan the channels on your CB during their business hours. Many still use a base station within the facility to call trucks in and out of the doors and to talk to local drivers. I have learned a lot over the years by listening to CB chatter. There are also several online resources that can be used in order to locate DCs and determine what they warehouse. MacRAE’s Bluebook is free and has listings of industrial warehouses and manufacturers across the country. Other websites like Manta and Cortera have many businesses listed in their directories and provide basic information for free, while more detailed descriptions are available via subscription. One of my favorites is Leonard’s Guide. It has a pretty good warehouse directory for free that is searchable by geographical location. Listings describe what the facility specializes in and provide direct links to contact information for most warehouses and DCs. Leonard’s Guide has a more extensive directory available online for a fee. They also publish this directory annually, and while comprehensive and useful, it is a little pricey and may be outside of most people’s budget. For a more affordable print directory, National Provisioner magazine usually puts out an annual Plant Operations Issue. While not as complete as the print version of Leonard’s Guide, it would be better than nothing when the world has to do without the Internet and electricity.

Watching the trucks in your area, listening to the CB, and searching online will probably provide you with information on many DCs you might have never known existed. Once you have this information compiled, it is time to go through it and extract what will be useful to you. There are a few places that should be avoided after the SHTF. The first and foremost are cold storages and freezers. While most cold storages and freezers have engine rooms with large backup generators, they are totally reliant on grid power to maintain the frigid temperatures inside for any duration of time. After a week, at best, the generators would run out of fuel and anything inside would begin to rot. The amount of disease from bacteria and vermin from a place like this would facilitate giving it a wide berth. The only possible exception to this rule would be one of the few natural cold storages located in several places around the nation. These cold storages are underground in the space left behind from limestone quarries. They can naturally maintain temperatures as low as 60 degrees Fahrenheit and use up to 70 percent less electricity to cool down to cold storage and freezer levels. While unlikely that they could be maintained for any significant amount of time, it is possible they could be powered by renewable sources of energy. Another place that might initially seem promising would be manufacturers. However, as retailers shed their stock rooms, manufacturers did away with warehousing area. Many manufacturers my company deals with literally load right off of the line into trucks that leave straight for a DC when full. They have so little storage space that if a truck doesn’t show up on time it can present a major problem as there is nowhere to go with the product produced. There are many types of DCs that are valuable to know and are quite common across the nation. The most abundant of these are dry grocery DCs. These are a must to know about as they generally have a wide mix of products including food, water, toiletries, and household products. Another common DC houses the products of building supply stores. These contain many valuable building supplies and tools that would be useful for rebuilding society. Beverage supply DCs are also good to know. While these may be looted initially by criminals looking for the alcohol many of them warehouse, most have vast stores of bottled water that could be left untouched. Further research in your specific location will reveal less common places that may hold items of value when the lights go out for good.

After going through and locating the distributions centers of value in your area, it is time to organize the information you have extracted. The maps I keep in my bug out bag (BOB), with my stored supplies, and at my emergency bug out location all are marked with the locations of the DCs in my area. Along with that, I keep laminated index cards bearing information specific to each DC/location (such as what they warehouse, who the owners and managers are, contact information, and what the building looks like.) It would also be a good idea to try to drive by these locations and take a quick picture to include with your laminated index cards. These facilities are often non-descript, and it may be a loved one that is not familiar with the facility using the information you gathered. It is also a good idea to keep track of DCs that are near your bug out location and along the route to it.

So the house of cards comes crashing down, but you are prepared. You get you and yours to somewhere safe. You have the supplies, the knowledge, and the skills to stay fed, warm, healthy, and secure. From a distance you watch the world burn. When the fire goes out it is up to you to help the world rebuild. And maybe by now you have a few less beans, bullets, and band-aids than you did before. The six nearly identical superstores in your old town are nothing now but hollow, burnt-out shells. You can faintly make out the shape of the Home Depot you used to frequent in the pile of rubble that takes its place now. Even the convenience stores have been picked clean. This is when the knowledge of the near-by DCs comes in handy. All of the junk silver you acquired, the case of bourbon you set aside, the now desirable skill sets you have learned can be bartered for supplies you now know you need, supplies you have run out of, and supplies to start rebuilding. These DCs will be one of the cornerstones providing the survivors of TEOTWAWKI the necessary tools and supplies to not only continue to survive, but to start to thrive again.

Learning Prepper and Barter Skills at Your Local Dump, by N.J.

Everyone these days is trying to budget and spend their hard earned money wisely. One place I found that I was able to spend a very limited amount or get items for free is at the local dump. It is a great place to accumulate items you could use in a SHTF situation. This may relate only to individuals living in suburban or city areas. There may be one in your county; it is important to find out if there is. If you have not been to your local recycle center or dump, you owe it to yourself to check it out. Take note that there might be a yearly or daily fee associated with using the dump. If at all possible, research the requirements to use the dump by calling ahead or using the local government website. The only thing that was required at my local dump was being a resident of the city and to purchase a twenty dollar yearly pass to the recycle center. Dropping off house hold appliances and tires had extra fees on top of the yearly pass. The pass included free mulch and sometimes top soil.

There is a social community at the dump, and you would never believe it unless you have experienced it. During my time spent as the dump supervisor for my local town, I interacted with many people that were involved with the unique subculture of the recycle center. I would like to give the readers some suggestions about what might go a long way toward improving the type of treatment and service you receive. This helps in order to be uninterrupted in gathering items or commodities that will be useful to you. Develop a first name relationship with the attendant or attendants and even patrons. People have developed strong friendships with other individuals and families they have encountered. At your dump there might be a “no scavenging” policy. I was the type of person to look the other way, if I knew you or you minded your own business. A small act of bringing the recycle center workers a bottle of water or a snack will bring you leniency. The main key is to be discreet and quick. If you see an item that might be useful grab it. Having a hook-like tool and small tool box will be something useful to bring with you. That way you can extend your reach into dumpsters and do small disassembles for parts if necessary.

The dump is a great place to find useful items for bartering. I gathered candles, tools, books, and anything I figured could be useful in a barter or economic collapse situation. I furnished my first apartment with a lot of things I found. People throw away things still brand new in the box! I once found a $500 coffee machine unopened in the original packaging. Many residents I was friendly with would put in orders with me for items they were looking for and sometimes put up rewards for finding those items. Couples and families would make a routine of showing up and making rounds just to see if they could find anything good or what had value.

Firewood is a sought after commodity by patrons that frequent the local dump. The firewood and yard waste would go into a special area. It either came from residents doing yard work or from the forestry division of the city. It was constantly searched for spring, summer, and fall. Residents would brag about how much they saved on their energy bills each month by burning firewood to heat their homes. Gathering firewood for winter was very serious business for many people. I have seen individuals go to such great lengths as to bringing their own chainsaws to make lumber pieces more manageable to carry and load into their vehicles. I often saw people collaborate to help each other. The most common occurrence was residents dropping off wood and another person that wanted the wood would arrange going directly to each other’s home to help each other. In the end both parties received what they wanted, while taking less trips to the dump and conserving fuel. I have seen great friendships come about by this practice.

Another thing residents really took advantage of was the recycle center’s mulch. The mulch came from the forestry department’s composting of trimmings and branches. I have watched families work at least eight hours, making trip after trip refilling their buckets with mulch. I was told it works very well for helping growing vegetables in the garden. With your yearly pass, you were able to get unlimited amounts of mulch. That is a great deal for someone trying to be frugal with their resources. Besides the two main interest grabbers being the firewood and mulch, there are a lot more things that might be useful in times of uncertainty. There was a section at the dump for dropping off a mixture of rocks, stones, dirt and bricks. A lot of people would pick up rocks and stones and take them home. I could picture someone taking home dirt, stones, and bricks home to use in building a nice root cellar. Good dirt would not last long at the dump. It would be taken home for a variety of home garden needs. I could also see someone using a mixture of dirt, stones, rocks, and bricks to set up defenses around their property. With these items again, I have seen people communicate interest in what someone is dropping off. They will talk with each other and work out arrangements to cooperate. That is an efficient system for both parties but best for the one picking up the items.

There was a special section of dumpsters to recycle lumber. It was great for getting lumber or boards to burn if there was a shortage of firewood. You would be very surprised on the amount of good boards you could find, from hardwoods (such as oak or mahogany) to softwoods (such as pine or cedar). Even treated lumber or press board is easy to find, from 2×4 pieces of lumber to 4×4 pieces. This is a great way to practice and learn woodworking. I knew several people that would use the lumber for all sorts of projects and build different things. One’s imagination is the only limiting factor on what could be built. You might even save lumber to use in boarding up your windows or doors during an emergency situation.

A great thing about the recycle center is the individuals and families. It is a great community to practice your people interaction skills. This is one of the most important skills you must learn for a SHTF scenario. If you don’t know how to interact with all different sorts of individuals, bartering almost seems out of the picture in a severe economic downturn.

There were plenty of times where I, being friendly and asking politely, received things of value without any expectation for payment in return. I will tell you about a couple of examples from my personal experiences, but these are just a few of many instances. A gentleman and I somehow got into a discussion about gardening, and he told me about all the different types of vegetables he planted for the harvest season. Peppers were a vegetable he mentioned. I asked him if he wouldn’t mind bringing some pepper seeds to me, if he had any extra to spare. He happily obliged; on his next trip to the dump he greeted me with a friendly smile and a zip lock bag full of pepper seeds. He also gave me a brief explanation of what worked best for him when growing the pepper seeds. There were also plenty of occasions where I would help someone shovel mulch, unload, or just have a pleasant conversation and ask if they wouldn’t mind bringing me something to drink next time they came around. Believe it or not I was rarely turned down. Every so, residents often went even further. Once I was brought muffins and other times different types of snacks. I learned never to be afraid to ask someone a question. The worst thing someone can say to you after you ask them a question is “no.” There is an old saying: “The only stupid question is the one you don’t ask.” The dump is a great place to meet like-minded individuals within your community and to practice your communication skills.

After practicing and perfecting your people skills, the next thing to work on is bartering. I would often collect lawn mowers and barter them to my supervisor for cash or alcohol. I have found snow blowers and traded them to a friend for cash. A great example of bartering was when I would find coupons and barter them to a friend for scrap metal. Bartering is an everyday occurrence at the recycle center. I have seen people trade different items they have picked up often. Maybe one party throws in some dollars or another item to sweeten the deal. Often, sometimes it could just be items that one party wants to trade for something that will be more useful to them. There are many more examples of bartering, but you need to get down to your own recycle center and practice. I believe the dump is one of the closest things you can get to a cash-limited society.

There are all different types of ways you can practice and learn skills for a survival scenario. One of the best skills to learn and practice is to fix things that are broken. You sometimes will get lucky and find things you can use that are still working and completely functional. Often a small part of something you find useful is broken. It’s a great opportunity to figure out how it works. Often you can buy replacement parts or even keep your eye out at the dump for another of that same or similar item to find the working part you need. I would often tell people that the dump has a great return policy; you can take it home, hold onto it for awhile, and if it doesn’t work out the way you wanted or you were unable to repair the item, just bring it back to the dump. A huge hit at the recycle center for repair-minded people were lawn mowers and snow blowers. Handy people would take them home, tinker around with them, repair them (when possible), and sell them.

Another skill worth practicing is making from the items you find at the recycle center. A lot of people I knew would gather enough items of value, fix the ones not working, and host a yard sale. Besides gathering items and selling them, there were a lot of people interested in gathering scrap metal. You might get lucky enough to find some copper pipe, an old brass faucet, or some romex wire. Some people do not know what these materials are worth, or they are simply too lazy or don’t have enough to make it worth their time. Learn to identify different types of metals and what they are worth. I always carried a wire cutter and a magnet to identify different types of metals. A magnet does not stick to copper, brass, or aluminum, which are the three main types of scrap metals you should be interested in. Be careful, it can become an addicting and fun hobby.

Besides all the barter and survival skills you can learn at the dump, you can also practice charity. It’s not a hard thing to learn at the dump when you are looking around. If you see an item say you might not want or use, but you know a friend who could use it, take it and give it to them. I knew a lot of people who would stay on the lookout for items that they could give to their church to help others. I knew a father and son what would look for lightly used mattresses for women that were less fortunate. Being charitable is also a great way to help others, while also reducing goes into the landfill. It’s great seeing people find items that they can make useful instead of seeing these items destroyed and never used again.

Letter: Communications Radios

Hello Sir,

In an effort to get our neighbors in the valley to keep in touch in case of emergency, what type of radios would you recommend? We are roughly under five miles apart with hilly, somewhat cliffy topography with a lot of brush at an elevation of just under 7,000′. I used to use Spilsbury “backcountry radios” between outfitters and air taxi services in the Idaho wilderness, but those are fairly spendy set-ups and hard to find. I doubt the neighborhood will opt for hams either. Any other options? You’re recommendations or those of experienced readers would be appreciated. – T.K.

Letter: Social Media Intel During an Emergency

HJL,

I am a long time reader and understand JWR’s recommendation against the use of social media. The recent snow storm that has crippled the roads in major southern cities has proven a positive of social media that I hadn’t fully realized. With a “friends” list of over 1,000 (who are mostly just acquaintances) I was able gain valuable intelligence down to the neighborhood level. Friends reported on road closures, traffic jams, people in need of help and their location, people providing help, and businesses that were open and taking in those that were stranded. This sharing of information undoubtedly saved lives and was shared by the people. No government agency or news media was able to provide this same level of understanding as to what was really happening on the ground. We have heard the stories of the flash mobs and other lawless behavior that has used social media as a means of command and control, the most famous being its use during the “Arab Spring.” Why can’t the good guys use this as a resource as well? With due diligence paid to JWR’s concerns, I recommend having an account that shares the minimum necessary of your personal information that is ONLY used during an emergency to access the many eyes and ears you are acquainted with. That level of detail of first hand accounts maybe invaluable one day. Please read all of JWR’s warnings on social media. – P.N.

HJL Replies: I’m afraid I’m going to have to agree with JWR on this issue. In this specific case, you were able to obtain intel, but the reality is that you were only able to obtain that intel because so many others are oblivious to the concept of OPSEC. There are always ways of obtaining that level of intel without actually compromising OPSEC. Ham radio operators, for example, have long maintained such local networks, usually in the form of radio clubs. There are many areas that still actively use FRS, MURS, and CB for local communications. Intel is available without compromising OPSEC, and just the act of owning an account compromises OPSEC to a certain degree.

Odds ‘n Sods:

U.S. Scalia Says Internment Ruling Could Happen Again– K.R.

o o o

More from the Ukraine: Ukrainian protestor kidnapped, CRUCIFIED and has part of his ear cut off before being dumped in a forest after a week of torture – T.

o o o

AF Cheating Scandal Grows to 92 Missile Officers

o o o

S.F. sent in the link to this excellent explanation: No Country for Old Fishermen

o o o

R.I.P. – the results are starting to come in. Here is a pretty good independent test that attempts to replicate FBI tests.

Part 1

Part 2

Videos of the actual test are posted on the web pages along with the write up. It’s just about what I would have expected, and I don’t believe I will be buying any.

Notes from HJL:

Today we present another entry for Round 51 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $11,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. 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. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear,
  5. A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value),
  6. A $300 Gift Certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  7. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  8. A roll of $10 face value in pre-1965 U.S. 90% silver quarters, courtesy of GoldAndSilverOnline.com, (currently valued at around $225),
  9. Both VPN tunnel and DigitalSafe annual subscriptions from Privacy Abroad (a combined value of $195),
  10. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304,
  11. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit, and
  12. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate.

Second Prize:

  1. A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand,
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training. Together, these have a retail value of $589.
  3. A FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100 foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  4. $300 worth of ammo from Patriot Firearms and Munitions. (They also offer a 10% discount for all SurvivalBlog readers with coupon code SVB10P .),
  5. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  6. A full set of all 26 books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  7. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value),
  8. EP Lowers, makers of 80% complete fiber composite polymer lowers for the AR-15 rifles, is donating a $250 gift certificate,
  9. Autrey’s Armory — specialists in AR-15, M4s, parts, and accessories is donating a $250 gift certificate,
  10. 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,
  11. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate, and
  12. Organized Prepperis providing a $500 gift certificate.

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. A MURS Dakota Alert Base Station Kit with a retail value of $240 from JRH Enterprises,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances, and
  7. 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.

Round 51 ends on March 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.

Maple Syrup is a Gift, by El Jeffe

Maple syrup is a gift of nature. Like all good gifts, it must be received. That happens in late winter and early spring in the New England and the Great Lakes regions. Since autumn, temperatures below 45 degrees have caused the trees to store sugar as starch. Around the end of February and into March, the sun begins to warm the maple trees even while the nights remain quite cold– below freezing. This fluctuation in temperature begins a pumping action in the sugar maple trees, which I interrupt by gathering sap.

The Tree Sugar Maple (also known as Rock Maple or Hard Maple) trees are the most common source of sugary sap. I am told that Black Maples are also especially good for tapping. Usually, Red Maples and Silver Maples should be avoided, if their sap is not as sugary, which consequently takes longer to evaporate. If my red and silver maples test below 1.5% sugar, I will avoid them. Their taste is also not as light and sweet. The Sugar Maple leaf is distinctive by its five-fingered leaf with deep “U” shapes between the fingers. The traditional Canadian Maple leaf symbol is quite similar to the sugar maple leaf. The leaves of Red and Silver Maples have distinctive jagged edges and “V” cuts between fingers.

I find that determining the type of maple tree by its bark can be as much art as science. In some trees, the Sugar Maple bark looks like elephant skin. It can be difficult to discern one variety from another. Another cue to discover your Sugar Maples is that their branches tend to branch off lower to the ground (six feet or so) when mature. An important consideration of a great producer is its crown the collection of branches at the very top of the tree. A great crown will draw a great amount of sap up from the roots and truck. Leaving nothing to chance, I mark my Sugar Maples in the autumn, before the leaves fall, with a small dot of spray paint.

The University of Maine has excellent resources on selecting trees, harvesting sap, and making maple syrup at: www.extension.umaine.edu

Tap Using a 7/16″ bit, I drill a two-inch hole at a slightly uphill angle into the maple tree about three to four feet above the ground. I usually see sap immediately begin to wet the opening. Clean the tapped hole of any sawdust or debris. Using a rubber mallet, gently tap a 7/16″ plastic spile into the tree. The spile should be firmly seated in the white wood but not split the tree. Tap on warm days to avoid splitting the tree.

Connect the spile using a food grade plastic hose inserted into a 5-6 gallon pail which sits on the ground at the base of the tree. Some older stainless steel spiles permit hanging the bucket from the spile. That doesn’t work with the modern plastic variety, so I just put the collection buckets on the ground with a piece of wood on the cover to keep everything stable. The bucket requires a lid to prevent rain and snow from ruining the sap. On the side of the rim of the bucket, near the top, drill a hole for the plastic hose to go into the side of the bucket. My first year, I drilled a hole through the top of the cover, which was not a good idea since rainwater and melting snow contaminate your sap. Your collection operation is complete! It is that easy.

Responsibly tapping maple trees for sap does not damage the trees. The proof of that are the generations of “sugarbush” harvesters that tap their Maples every year. It is important to rest a tree every three or four years, arborists say. It is also important to tap only trees that are mature. The Michigan and Maine state websites about harvesting maple syrup agree that only trees with trunks more than 10″ in diameter should be tapped. If a tree is 10-20 inches in diameter, it has a circumference of 31″ to 61″ and can support one tap. A tree 20″-25″ has a circumference of 64″- 79″ and can support two taps. Over 25″ diameter trees can support three taps. A tree should not be tapped with more than three taps under any circumstances. Over-tapping a tree can starve it of the needed sap for its survival. Excess openings (taps) in the tree can also allow pests and infections to enter the tree.

The sap-rising temperatures– 40 degrees or so– will create pressure inside the tree and cause the sap to flow. Day and night, the running sap will drain into your collection bucket. During periods of great temperature fluctuations, I have harvested five gallons a day from a productive tap.

A sweet sap will be about 2% sugar and is measured in the field using a hydrometer. You will need to buy a long or short hydrometer ($10-$20) and a stainless steel cup ($18-$22) to hold the sap while testing. I buy all of my supplies from Sugar Bush Supply company www.sugarbushsupplies.com. I have found them them to be 100% reliable, fairly-priced, and knowledgable. Sap that is less than 2% is still usable, but it will take longer to evaporate and can result in a darker, more molasses-like syrup. The Grade A Amber syrup comes from the sweetest sap.

Evaporation

As soon as possible, boil your sap. If it stands for more than two or three days, especially in warm weather, it can become milky and affect the taste of the syrup. For my sap, I use a 125 gallon, food grade, polystyrene holding tank that I purchased from Leader Evaporators atwww.leaderevaporator.com . Making maple syrup is about evaporating the water out of the sap. Roughly speaking (depending on the sweetness of the sap) 43 gallons of sap yields one gallon of syrup.

The sap is boiled to 7.5 degrees above the boiling point of water. At sea level this temperature is about 212 degrees Fahrenheit. So, since I am near sea level, I bring my sap to 219.5 degrees, when it becomes a clear amber yellow. Boiling above those temperatures will often result in gritty bits of “sugar sand” in the syrup and a cloudy product. Also, the longer the sap is boiled, the darker it gets. Inferior sap will yield a syrup that is “Class C”, brown, and molasses-tasting. The highest prized syrup is the golden, clear, light syrup.

In the past when doing small batches, I used an electric stove to boil my sap in stainless steel pots from Walmart. The evaporation/boiling process took about seven hours to turn 18-20 gallons of sap into two quarts of syrup. Because I will have several hundred gallons of sap this year, I decided to boil most of it on an outdoor steel box wood stove in the woodshed. I will use the stove top for the finishing process of taking the thickened sap to 219.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

Filtering and Bottling

Syrup should be filtered when it’s hot. I use homemade filters, but they can also be purchased at Sugar Bush Supply and other supply companies. The syrup should be bottled at a temperature of at least 180 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent bacteria and fungi. It is capped immediately and left to cool. I use 12 oz and 8 oz glass bottles, but there is a wide variety of containers, caps, and labels. Just make sure your jars and bottles are sterile before filling them. Bottles should be filled to near the top, minimizing the amount of air in the bottle. The bottle or jar can then be laid sideways to cool, creating a nice seal with the cap.

Reverse Osmosis

I have been reading and thinking about using a reverse osmosis (RO) machine to extract much of the water from the sap before I boil it. Most of the literature claims that the reverse osmosis filtering systems can extract up to 60% of the water out of the sap. Obviously, this would reduce the boiling time significantly.

However, I am concerned that the sugar in the raw sap would foul the filters frequently. If I have to replace filters every hundred gallons of raw sap, for example, that would require a lot of work and maintenance. For me this is a hobby, not a job. I am not convinced yet that using the RO filters makes sense for my small operation.

Clean Up

After the season is over, clean all of your hoses, spiles, and buckets with a hot chlorine-water solution. Use one part chlorine to twenty parts hot water. Then store your requipment in a dry, clean place. Cleanliness is critical in the process. Whenever I handle the raw sap, I usually filter it to remove any visible debris. Then, boiling it kills any unseen germs, bacteria, and contaminants.

Final Product

You are finished! Your maple syrup is delicious, pure and 100% natural, with no additives of any kind. I am told that maple syrup, like honey, will last for many years when sealed and stored in a cool, dark place.

Combined with your labor and a few materials, your maple syrup is a gift of nature.

Letter: Diesel Fuel Storage

Hugh,

I thought that the readership of Survivalblog would like to know that I am currently burning diesel fuel that was bought in 2005. The fuel was stored in 55-gallon drums located in a cool, dark place and treated with FPPF super fuel stabilizer. I also intentionally bought my fuel in the winter months. The fuel is being burned in Cummins 12-valve engines. The fuel is low sulfur, not ultra low sulfur, so only time will tell if the same results can be expected from the new fuel that was introduced in 2007. – sj

Two Letters Re: The Joy of Canning

I read with interest DDR’s article “The Joy of Canning”. Most of her advice is spot-on and an excellent primer for new canners. I commend her for such a comprehensive article for novice canners. However, she includes some potentially dangerous advice that can invite the risk of botulism. For example, she correctly writes, “Vegetables and meats are considered low-acid and should always be processed in your pressure canner. This is also true of your soups, chilis, and most sauces. I find that it’s a good idea, when in doubt, to pressure can just to be safe.” Then, she contradicts this advice later in the article when she writes, “By the way, I water bath can my spaghetti sauce, even though it contains onions, peppers, and oil, because tomatoes are so very high in acid.”This is INCORRECT. If her spaghetti sauce contains onions and bell peppers, then the food MUST be pressure canned in order to prevent the deadly disease of botulism. The acid in tomatoes does not negate the fact that onions and bell peppers are low-acid and must be pressure canned.

The rule of thumb for canning mixed-ingredient foods is to PROCESS THE FOOD IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE INGREDIENT REQUIRING THE LONGEST PROCESSING TIME. In this particular case, bell peppers canned in quarts require processing for 45 minutes at 10 lbs of pressure (adjusted for altitude). Pressure canning these low-acid ingredients for less time or water-bath canning them invites the risk of botulism.

Even without the addition of low-acid ingredients, sauces made with modern, hybrid tomatoes are often too low-acid to be safely canned in a water-bath. It is recommended that citric acid or another acidifier be added to increase the acidity in order to safely water-bath can. And as I mentioned, if there is anything else added to the sauce (such as bell peppers or onions), then the sauce MUST be processed in accordance with the ingredient requiring the longest processing time.

DDR also mentions canning butter or high-oil items, both of which are items that should not be canned at home. While DDR claims she’s never poisoned anyone yet, I’d like to remind her that “past performance does not guarantee future results.” There are some things that home canners shouldn’t can at home, even with a pressure canner, and even if those products are available commercially. Commercial canneries have additives, preservatives, and processing controls that are not available to home canners. They also have professional processing equipment that we can’t duplicate at home.

The foods not recommended for home-canning include:

  • Foods packed in oil. Canning in oil is not recommended because oil coats and insulates botulism spores and creates an anaerobic micro-environment, which allows the spores to survive high heat. To kill botulism spores encased in oil would require pressure canning at such high temperatures and for so long that the food itself would be destroyed. (A small amount of oil, for example used in sautéing before canning, is acceptable.)
  • Highly viscous foods. Items such as refried beans, peanut butter, pumpkin purée, or squash purée should not be home-canned. (Cooked cubed pumpkin can be canned at home, but cubed squash will compress during heating and become too thick; it should not be home-canned).
  • Lard. It is too dense and too fatty to safely can at home.
  • Pickled eggs. They are too dense to safely can at home. There are no tested recipes for canning pickled eggs.
  • Dairy products. Soups (or other foods) made with cream, milk, butter, or other dairy products are not recommended for home-canning. Like oil, dairy products are low-acid and support an environment which fosters botulism growth at room temperature. The fat in dairy products can protect botulism spores and toxins from heat during the canning process. When milk is over-heated, the milk proteins drop out of suspension and separate. The amount of heat that would need to be used to kill botulism is so extreme that the food would be rendered inedible. For this reason, canning milk or canning butter is not recommended as a safe procedure for home canners.
  • Cornstarch. Cornstarch is a thickener that breaks down during processing; more importantly, it retards heat penetration. When a thickening agent is needed, use Clear-Jel, which is a modified corn starch formulated for canning. Clear-Jel does not break down in acid food mixtures, and it does not thicken so much that it interferes with the process of heat-killing any pathogens. Please note that processing times listed in published reference books are not sufficient for using any thickeners other than Clear Jel. Unfortunately, this product generally can’t be found in grocery stores, but it can be found online.
  • Flour. Some people believe they can make “cakes in a jar” or other foodstuffs that contain flour. This is strongly inadvisable. Home canned flour products , such as breads and doughs, are considered very prone to botulism. No one has yet been able to come up with a reliable recipe and canning direction that doesn’t produce botulism some of the time. Flour products are low-acid and “baking” them in a jar is not “canning”; it is not recommended.

The reasons behind the inadvisability of canning these foods are generally due to one of two things: either scientific research has demonstrated that home-canning of such foods is potentially hazardous, or the only way to can them is at such high pressures that the results are unpalatable. In other words, if it’s not possible to kill off botulism spores while producing a palatable product, then the food is placed on the “not recommended” list.

There will always be people who think the rules don’t apply to them, or believe they’re special enough to refute the science behind safe canning. This is the kind of sloppy canning techniques I continuously warn about. Remember, past performance (“Granny always did it!”) does not guarantee future results. Canning is a highly developed science, and to assume the rules don’t apply to you is asking for trouble. Be safe. – Patrice Lewis

Economics and Investing:

Treasury Sells First Floating Rate Notes In Heavily Subscribed Auction – G.G.

Jamie Dimon’s Raise Proves U.S. Regulatory Strategy is a Joke – B.R.

JPMorgan Loses 44% of Gold Inventories in 4 Days! – RBS

Items from The Economatrix:

U.S. Mint Gold-Coin Sales Jump 63% in January; Silver Triples

Celente – No Way Out As Global Ponzi Scheme Collapse Begins

As Predicted, Tapering Prompts Market Dive

The Dow Has Already Fallen More Than 1000 Points From The Peak Of The Market