Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 49 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $8,455 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course. (A $1,195 value.) B.) 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, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear, E.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value), F.) A $300 Gift Certificate from Freeze Dry Guy. G.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo. H.) A roll of $10 face value in pre-1965 U.S. 90% silver quarters, courtesy of GoldAndSilverOnline.com. The current value of this roll is at least $225, and I.) Both VPN tunnel and DigitalSafe annual subscriptions from Privacy Abroad. They have a combined value of $195.

Second Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) 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. C.) A FloJak FP-50 stainless steel hand well pump (a $600 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. D.) $300 worth of ammo from Patriot Firearms and Munitions. (They also offer a 10% discount for all SurvivalBlog readers with coupon code SVB10P.), E.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials F.) A full set of all 22 of the books published by PrepperPress.com. This is more than a $200 value, and G.) Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) 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, C.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, D.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), E.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security., F.) A MURS Dakota Alert Base Station Kit with a retail value of $240 from JRH Enterprises , and G.) A Nesco / American Harvest Gardenmaster Dehydrator with an extra set of trays, and the book The Dehydrator Bible, from Mayflower Trading. (A $210 value.)

Round 49 ends on November 30th, 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.

Organic Gardening, by Delroy

Growing up in the desert southwest Grandma V always had some kind of a garden. Whether it was squash, beans, and corn in the summer, or lettuce and cabbage in the winter, there was something growing in the rocky soil. She also had a remarkable collection of aloes growing in old coffee cans around her little cottage on the ranch. It was a good time of learning from a gentle soul without feeling like being schooled. Fast forward twenty years and I’m married, living on a postage stamp size city lot and anxious to get off the industrial food merry-go-around; so I decide to plant a garden. This urge grows into a burning passion and within five years I’ve bought some land and started a small, part-time, organic farming business. Through twists, turns, and the ubiquitous government regulation of water I was forced out of business a few years later.

Frustrated and ready for a fresh start, I moved to the Pacific Northwest with the same goal of having a part-time farm. Things went well for a few years but the constant pull between work and a growing family wore thin. I retired from the farming business but not without learning many valuable skills I’ll share here.

First a little about organic farming, though some definitions have probably changed since I quit paying attention to the political discussions of it. Simply put, it is using no artificial or manmade products on the crops or land. Many are fooled into believing there are no poisons or chemicals used in organic farming; there are many. However, most of the pesticides used are not persistent in the environment and are made from plants, minerals, or natural oils so are deemed safer.

Organic fertilizers are going to come from a natural source such as manure, compost, fish byproducts, and mineral powders to name a few. These could be broken up further into categories that are acceptable or not under certain standards, but that is not my focus here. The key when looking at fertilizers is the N-P-K number which is always displayed on the package. Those letters represent nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K). The simplest key is that nitrogen gives green growth, phosphorous is roots and flowers/fruit, and potassium is for vigor and disease resistance. There is a whole host of other nutrients that plants need, but are required in smaller quantities so are generally not emphasized as much in a balanced fertilizer. It is also quite possible that there is an abundant supply of these minor nutrients already present in your soil. A soil test kit is inexpensive and useful for optimum fertilization and growth of the garden.

Calcium is the next important nutrient to have strong plants, minimize disease, and balance the Ph of the soil. Most vegetable crops will thrive in soil between 6-8 on the Ph scale and closer to seven being the ideal. In the Northwest, to raise the Ph it is best to apply lime in the early spring or in the fall and allow it to work through the winter months. Again, a soil test kit will come in handy for this.

A balanced fertilizer will contain percentages of the three most common nutrients in some ratio designed to meet a need. Common formulations may look like 10-10-10, 10-0-0, 16-16-16, or 0,15,0. For the vegetable gardener, the 10-10-10 is probably going to be the best choice for general fertilization and plant health.

In my experience tilling the fertilizer into the soil has yielded the best results. Even after crops have reached a decent size the fertilizer can be worked in around the base of the plant. This brings it much closer faster to those soil microbes that are anxious to digest it. Depending on what it is, tilling it in can reduce unpleasant odors and keep cats and other wildlife at bay.
Commercially produced organic fertilizers like fish meal or fish emulsion will generally have the highest nitrogen content and the highest price. You simply have to have a good supply of this nutrient to get active growth that is healthy. This is especially true where there is a short growing season. Most of these will have traces of other nutrients as well and some may be balanced to meet all of your plants’ needs. Pelleted fertilizers offer convenience in ease of handling but also carry a higher price.

Animal manure is a good source of plant nutrients but it often has unpredictable results in the garden due to salts, weed seeds, and bacterial action in the soil. Some manure, such as chicken manure can be harmful to plants due to its high nitrogen content if it is not first composted or aged (more on composting to follow). This damage is called “burning” when the plants absorb too much nitrogen and the leaves whither and dry looking scorched.

All raw fertilizers rely on bacteria to break down the bulk product into plant available forms. This includes fish meal, fish emulsion, manures, and mineral powders. The reason ammonium nitrate makes the grass grow so fast is that it is the form of N that plants can utilize immediately; it doesn’t need to be converted. On the other hand, bovine exhaust byproducts need bacteria to break them down into these plant available forms and it takes a little time. In cold weather this takes longer as the bacteria are less active in the soil than when it is warm. Composting manure for a few months or a year shortens conversion time in the soil, homogenizes the nutrient levels, and gets the nutrients to the plants quicker.

A green manure is a crop grown for the express purpose of turning back into the soil. These will usually, but not always, have a crop that will be a nitrogen fixer. That is, some plants such as beans, peas, vetch, clover, and alfalfa “fix” nitrogen out of the atmosphere and leave it in the soil as a plant available source. Some green manures are grown for the bulk matter they produce to lighten soil and build humus. It is not uncommon to find a blend of nitrogen ‘fixers’ and some kind of a grain for bulk matter. Here in the Pacific Northwest where winters are very rainy and little grows in the garden, a cover crop is ideal to build next year’s soil when nothing else is in the ground. Another alternative to tilling the green manure before planting the garden is that livestock could be allowed to graze on it. This would give them some fresh green food and reduce the bulk before tilling.

Compost is another key to sound organic practices and I compost pretty much everything; dog dung, cooking oils, and meat scraps when there are some. I can’t count the number of times I’ve driven down the road, and day after day watched a raccoon or deer simply melt back into the soil after encountering a fast moving vehicle. I do not say this as a practical method of fertilization, just as an observation of God’s creation at work. A compost pile has potentially billions of microbes working around the clock to digest whatever they encounter and breaking it down to its basic form to be reused. When I pick up after the dogs, I either throw it into the wildflower patch or put it in a separate compost pile I use for the grass and flowers. It cycles through the flowers life cycle and then they go into the kitchen compost pile in the Fall ready for Spring. Same with the few meat scraps. Old, used cooking oil goes straight to the kitchen’s pile.
Applying compost has for me been most effective when worked into the soil prior to planting. All of the nutrients in good finished compost are plant available and can be utilized immediately by the crops. It tends to be fairly low in overall nutrients, around the 3-5% range, but greatly improves soil structure and plant health. Side-dressing throughout the season can be effective and helps reduce weeds around the plants and conserves moisture. Many swear by compost “tea” and use it regularly. Simply place some finished compost in a burlap sack and submerge in a barrel of water for a few days and let it brew. The water can then be poured on or around the plants to provide the nutrients that have been leached out of the compost. The compost in the sack can be returned to the pile or added to the garden.

The backbone of good organic gardening is a crop rotation plan. Crop rotation reduces the pest and disease infestations by moving the food source to a new location and disrupting pest life cycles. Some crops like potatoes should be on a long cycle of at least three years, while others as little as three months. Setting up a crop rotation is pretty simple as most crops will occupy their space for an entire season. The exception is with the quick growing crops like lettuce, spinach, and radishes or those that will be planted successively like broccoli, carrots, and beets.
A crop rotation should be planned over a three to five year cycle. Divide the garden in blocks and sub-divide these blocks as necessary to achieve optimal use of soil. Separate crops by family, i.e. broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and kale, or by type such as garlic, onions, and leeks. Then there are leafy plants like lettuce, spinach, and chard. In my experience potatoes and cauliflower suffered the most from growing in the same soil in too short a time. The potatoes got scab, looked terrible making them unable to sell and the cauliflower was infested with worms. A crop rotation is also important based on the nutrient use of the previous or succeeding crop. Broccoli, cauliflower and the like use a lot of nitrogen, so planting carrots after may work well. A fall crop of broccoli could be interspersed with zucchini making use of the space. 

Bottom line from my experience and what professional say, potatoes are the most at risk when planted in the same soil year after year. This is reported to be the cause of the Irish Potato Famine where the country lost a huge percentage of the crop to disease. In a grid down eat what you can situation, potatoes will be on my list of crops to have. Worms in broccoli or cauliflower don’t look good, but they are still edible; a disease that destroys all the spuds is another story altogether.

For pest control, a healthy plant is the best defense. Keep weeds pulled and not allowed to re-seed. Keeping plants actively growing will keep most from suffering too much damage, whether its weeds or bugs. Natural oils, pepper extracts, and plant compounds are very reliable but last a short time. A powder called rotenone made from a root is a good broad spectrum insecticide, but must be applied every few days to be effective in heavy infestations. Hand picking worms and other bugs is time consuming but effective. Natural predators such as Lady Bugs can be purchased, but are generally present anyway. If all else fails, pull a few plants out and bury in the compost to save the rest from being infested.

Lastly, though not only an organic practice, using transplants in the garden can alleviate a number of concerns and ensure a bountiful harvest. With for example, planning some fall harvested broccoli, early potatoes could be dug in mid-July, the soil tilled, and transplants immediately put out the same day. A three inch tall broccoli has a huge head start on any weeds, can take advantage of any residual nutrients, and keeps the garden fully productive throughout the growing season. Transplants are also a more efficient use of seeds in some cases. Continuing with the broccoli example, rather than use a whole packet of seed in a row and then need to thin, starting seeds and placing them as plants at the appropriate spacing saves time and resources. If your seed supply is limited, this becomes even more important.

So when starting to plan your garden space consider what crops you want to grow, a rough idea of the quantity you will want, and work backwards from harvest time to estimate your planting date. Most seed packs will display a “days to maturity” table and may even list them according to the USDA regions. My experience has been that under the best conditions add about fifteen percent to the time on the packets, especially if using organic or slow release fertilizers. Remember the cold soil in early spring is not going to break down those amendments as quickly as in the heat of summer.

While I strive to follow these guidelines in my garden space, I have lost some crops to bugs and slow growth. I store some commercial fertilizers and pesticides for a SHTF situation to help ensure my ability to succeed when it is crucial. There are too many variables to not take prudent precautions when they are readily available to us.

JWR Replies: It is noble to strive for an organic approach, and I presently do in my own garden. But if it comes down to a true Crunch, where my family’s very survival is at stake, then I won’t hesitate to use chemical fertilizers and pesticides, if they are available. In time like those, practicality will trump principle and peak health benefits.

Letter Re: Transistor Radio Repair

Jim,
I was impressed by this guy’s threads on basic, old, transistor radio “revival”. 

His simple, well illustrated threads at Instructables are written for the novice radio tinkerer. 

First, instructions for a GE P780B.  (I have one of these, they’re built like tanks and are worth seeking out.)

Second, an American made, Zenith portable. The Zeniths from the 1950s to 1970s are very well made and have audio and DX qualities that place modern portables to shame.

Regards, – F.G.

JWR Replies: I also recommend the G.E. transistor radios. The technology was improved slightly with the SupeRadio series, which was made for G.E. in Japan starting in the 1970s. These used a perfected superheterodyne circuit and large speakers for full, rich sound. When paired with an inductive antenna enhancer (such as a Terk, Select-A-Tenna, or Kaito brand) to boost the built-in ferrite rod AM antenna, you have a great AM and FM DXing radio with quite good monaural sound.

News From The American Redoubt:

Not too late to register! Nampa, Idaho Appleseed October 26-27, 2013. (BTW, you’ve got to love a state where television stations list events like that, at their web site. Somehow, I don’t think that would be likely for a television station in New Jersey.)

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Wyoming apparently got a bad “homophobic” rap, in the much-publicized death of Matthew Shepard. In The Book of Matt: Hidden Truths About the Murder of Matthew Shepard, the author documents how Shepard’s death was at the hands of another man with whom he’d had sexual relations, and was about retribution in an illicit methamphetamine deal gone bad, rather than “gay bashing.” And it is now clear that his murderers were not strangers. They knew Shepard well. And now we learn that one of him knew him in the Biblical sense.The lesson in all this: Don’t take mass media reports at face value. Their reporting is often driven by political agendas and social engineering goals.

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A great north-central Idaho flying video from Ttabs: Just Another August Morning. Disclaimers: The haze (atypical) was from some forest fires. No animals were harmed in the making of this film. But one was shaken up bit. The pilot notes: “Recorded in mid-August. I departed Elk River Idaho and for a while, headed into the Clearwater Mountains and the north Dworshak Reservoir to do a little scouting for elk. I then headed to the west where I hit the vaulted wheat fields around Kendrick, Idaho and proceeded SW to Lapwai Idaho where I began a climb up to the Camas Prairie and finely landed at Craigmont Idaho for a break. “

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New beginning: Father of Benghazi hero moves to Bigfork [Montana]

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Here is yet another success story for a home-based business that allowed a family to move to The American Redoubt, and to thrive: HoneySpinner.com. Their clever honey spinners are made in the USA and are powered by an owner-supplied variable speed electric drill motor. (These are centrifuges used to extract honey from beehive frames.) They are located in Rexburg, Idaho.

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They’ve learned how to conveniently move from teat to teat, even in Idaho: Insurance exchange director quits, gets contract.

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A quantum leap in grid power reliability: The Western Interconnection Synchrophasor Program. In the Pacific Northwest, the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) has been an early adopter.

Economics and Investing:

S. recommended: Imperial Understretch and the Fall of Great Powers

G.G. suggested: U.S. debt jumps a record $328 billion in a single day — tops $17 trillion for first time

 

Items from The Economatrix:

The US Cannot Avoid A Soft Default Even If A Hard Default Is Avoided: Debt Ceiling Already Breached And US Treasury Operating In Emergency Mode While US Is Paying $415 Billion In Annual Interest Expenses.

Nothing Left To Financially Lose: Biggest Drop In Confidence Since Lehman Brothers And Why Some Are Unmoved By Government Shutdown.

Government shutdown took $24 billion bite out of economy

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake." – Victor Hugo

The Time Has Come To Fully Diversify: Retreating From Banks And From The Dollar Itself

The recent political crisis over the delayed raising of the U.S. debt ceiling was just a precursor of a much larger crisis that will occur when interest rates inevitably rise. Once they do rise, it will become impossible for the Federal government to service its debt without massive monetization and concomitant mass inflation. There may also be some draconian stopgap measures such as levies on bank accounts (a.k.a. “bail ins”), nationalization of private pension funds, nationalization or forced common stock purchases for IRA and 401(k) plans, currency controls, bank holidays, bank withdrawal limits, currency recalls, limited access to safe deposit boxes, IRA and 401(k) withdrawals limits, and perhaps even another ban on privately held gold bullion.

For the past seven years I have urged my readers to diversify their investments out of U.S. Dollars and into tangibles. I am now repeating that with an even greater sense of urgency. It is high time to deliberately draw down you bank accounts and stop rolling over your CDs. I now urge my readers to gradually withdraw as much cash as you can, leaving only as much in your checking accounts as you need to pay your monthly expenses and to make your tax payments.

Beware of CTRs

If you have more than $10,000 in your account and you attempt withdraw it all at once, then by law your bank teller will fill out a Currency Transaction Report (CTR). These reports are available to the IRS and other government agencies. To avoid this, you need to gradually withdraw your cash, in unequal amounts, over a period of weeks or months. If you have a lot of cash to move, then one viable approach is to write checks to open bank accounts in other banking institutions, and then deliberately draw down those new accounts with numerous small cash withdrawals.(Less than $7,000 each.) According to Wikipedia, CTRs include “an optional checkbox at the top if the bank employee believes the transaction to be suspicious or fraudulent, commonly called a SAR, or Suspicious Activity Report.” If your bankers suspects that you are “structuring” withdrawals, then they will feel obliged to file a SAR.

What to do with the cash you withdraw:

1.) Get your beans, bullets and Band-Aids squared away. This should be your highest priority. Don’t consider “investing” in anything else until you get your key preparations established.

2.) Keep some greenback cash “mattress money” in small bills. If possible, keep enough cash for a couple of months worth of expenses. Again, keep it very well hidden at home, or bury it in waterproof containers.

3.) Only after accomplishing Steps 1 and 2, buy some physical silver. In the U.S., pre-1965 dimes, and quarters are the best choice. Keep your silver very well hidden at home, or bury it in waterproof containers. Make sure that you let a couple of trusted relatives know exactly where it is hidden, in case you might come to harm.

4.) Invest in some common caliber ammunition. Here is your shopping list, in a nutshell: Rifle: .30-06, .308 Win., 5.56 NATO, 5.45×39, 7.62×39, .30-30, and .22 LR. Pistol: .45 ACP, 9mm, .40 S&W., .357. 38 Special. Shotgun: 12 Gauge, 2-3/4″ length. (Buy a good mix of buckshot, slug and birdshot shotshells, with an emphasis on buckshot.)

5.) Invest in some good quality battle rifles, handguns, and full capacity magazines.

6.) Buy productive farm or ranch land (with good pasture and hay ground) that is in a viable retreat region.

7.) Invest in your education. That is the ultimate form of portable wealth. A second stream of income may become important in the coming years, so getting an education in a practical trade would be wise.

8.) If you have substantial liquid wealth (more than $500,000), then start shuttling some of it offshore. But because of the coming currency fluctuations, I recommend that the majority of that be stored offshore in physical precious metals. If you don’t already have a deeply trusted relationship with a family in your offshore host country (you should!), then you will have to trust a bank deposit box in your offshore host country.

9.) Buy a few books of “Forever” postage stamps. These may become useful for barter, as they will hold their value against inflation better than cash.

10.) Invest in a depression-proof business that is portable. (See the blog article links in my reply to these letters.)

11.) Build your personal reference library.

12.) If you are elderly, then invest in preparedness for your children and grandchildren. In the depths of the Second Great Depression, you won’t be able to count on the government to help you. But you can count on your close relatives.

What NOT to do with the cash you withdraw:

1.) Unless you are a multimillionaire, don’t buy large quantities of gold or gemstones. Not only is gold too compact a form of wealth for practical barter, but it is also far more likely to be confiscated than silver.

2.) Don’t build up your Bitcoin wallet balance above 15 BTC. Because Bitcoins are a synthetic currency and Internet-based, they are subject the whims of larcenous politicians. Bitcoin transactions can be tracked, because nearly every Bitcoin transaction has a corresponding e-mail trail. (And anyone who thinks that their e-mails are all “safely encrypted” is fooling themselves.)

3.) Don’t buy urban or suburban real estate.

4.) Don’t buy a second home in a “resort” area. As I’ve mentioned before in SurvivalBlog, resort areas will be targeted by looters in times of social chaos.

5.) Don’t invest in fine art, vintage wines, rare postage stamps, classic cars, or collectibles. Those will sell for just pennies on the dollar in the Depression. (If you want any of those, then wait for the opportunity to “buy low.”)

6.) Other than some home security webcams, commo gear, a starlight scope, and a Dakota Alert passive IR intrusion detection system, don’t waste your money on electronic gadgets.

7.) Don’t invest in foreign currencies. There are no more “safe” currencies!

8.) Don’t invest in foreign stocks. Tangibles will trump, worldwide.

9.) Don’t over-prepare or over-invest in one area, at the expense of others. (For example, buying all guns and no storage food, or vice versa.) Balanced preparedness is the key!

Bottom line: The time for hesitation has passed. If you leave your liquid assets in a bank or in a savings and loan, then you are now a sitting duck.

– JWR

Credit Market Derivatives: The Eve of Destruction

Interest rate turmoil again affected holding company trading revenues heavily in the first and second quarters of 2013. According to the latest report from the U.S. Office of the Compttroller of the Currency (OCC), rate trading derivatives losses were $3.018 Billion in 1Q 2013 and $3.804 Billion in 2Q 2013.

It is noteworthy that the present-day casino in credit derivatives has built up in the era of ZIRP, where interest rate changes have been miniscule. The losses reported in the first two quarters were apparently triggered by the unexpected rate moves of less than 20 basis points. (Two tenths of one percent.)

While the total credit exposure to risk based capital has declined for the top four U.S. commercial banks that do derivatives trading, the notional value of their derivatives increased by $2.2 trillion, to $233.9 trillion. And JPMorgan (the world’s biggest derivatives trader) just by itself holds derivatives contracts with a notional value of around $71 Trillion! (To be precise: $71,289,673,000,000.) To put that in perspective, the total value of the US economy is around $15 trillion.

The counterparty risk in credit derivatives would be gigamongous, if interest rates were to spike several full points, and any large institutions then subsequently failed. If you thought that the bailouts back in 2009-2010 were huge, then just wait and see what the next credit crisis brings. – JWR

Guest Article: It is Hard to Know Wild Food Without Also Knowing Some Wild Medicines, by Linda Runyon

As I observe the current concerns about our food supply and our “health” care choices, I think back to the days in the 1970s when my husband, child and I took off to the wilderness of the Adirondacks.  Even though there’s so much turbulence going on now, I know that being in the middle of essentially nowhere with just your three-member family can be scary no matter how, when, or why you do it.  I was fortunate in that I was trained as a nurse in my younger days, and that experience did come in handy in being able to stay calm in the face of emergency.  But we didn’t have much in the way of dependable food sources or actual medicines and so, with some trial and error, I learned to use the plants around me for nutritious food and for relief and aid for the body.

 As regards the medicinal aspect, I knew that prior to modern medicine and its drugs, there were individuals who passed down, from generation to generation, the secrets of natural healing, often using herbs and various compounds to assist the body to heal itself.  Throughout the history of man, such people have provided whatever medicinal healing that was to be had, and most of the populace was grateful for them.  We are lucky to have the wisdom of herbal know-how passed down through the generations.

In this article I will tell you about some edible and medicinal uses for wild plants that I personally learned about to help my family survive on our wilderness homestead.  This will give you an idea of how possible it is to be off the grid and to still be able to deal with feeding yourselves well, and learning effective and free ways to handle health issues that could arise.  These wild plants grow pretty much everywhere and you are very likely to find them not only in your urban backyard, but also in  wilderness areas that you might inhabit.  The fascinating thing is that while I was getting a handle on feeding us for free in the wild, I was also discovering that many of those same plants also have medicinal properties, so it’s a “two-for-one” kind of deal, and the best part is that it’s all free!  Nature herself has provided us with the most amazing deal in health and nutrition, and yet there’s all that noise about the expense of food and of health care.  What a waste of time and energy, in my opinion.

I must remind you that the key to successful use of any wild plant, whether edible or medicinal, depends, as always, on proper identification.  I have said this many times in my books, in my 3-hour DVD, in my Wild Card playing deck, on my radio shows, in my newsletter, and in my classes years ago, etc.  It is the very first action that everyone needs to take in helping themselves to Nature’s free food store and pharmacy.  I always say that you should have at least 3 good field guides to help with identification, and color photos, and then go out and practice until you know you know your plants!  However, and this is a caution that I also state continually, there are some harmful plants that resemble really wonderful wild plants.  I’m going to go into a bit of detail here to give you an idea of what I mean, and so you will understand why I emphasize certainty with your identification. 

One of my favorite wild plants is Queen Anne’s Lace.  When you see the blooming flower head, you will know why it is called that.  Queen Anne’s Lace is a great wild edible because you see it in many places (once you know how to identify it), and it has a long harvesting season.  I would pick the flowers and saute them for a tasty treat.  I discovered that the stems can be cut and used for flavoring in soups and stews, the leaves can be included in salads, the dried seeds from the brown fall flowers can be used as a salt substitute (but not to excess).  Once I found out how delicious the lace flowers taste fried in hot oil and then cooled on rocks at my homestead outdoor “kitchen”, I didn’t miss potato chips anymore!  The roots can be gathered for a carrot substitute in the spring and fall, and you can even dig during the winter months to collect the roots.  You can see how useful this plant is for free food and to use as a very healthy salt substitute.

The thing is, unless you are careful, it is possible to mistake this wonderful plant with poison hemlock, just like it is possible to mistake mushrooms that aren’t good for you with ones that are.  The answer is not to stop looking for mushrooms, it is to learn the good ones from the bad ones.  In the case of Queen Anne’s Lace, the most obvious difference between it and hemlock is that the stems of Queen Anne’s Lace are fuzzy, and the stems of hemlock are smooth.  So just by feeling along the stem you will be able to tell which is the good, edible plant.  Another detectable difference is that Queen Anne’s Lace has a very distinctive “carrot” smell to the stem, leaves, seeds, and roots.  This information, along with other specifics on a few more poisonous look-alikes, are in my book The Essential Wild Food Survival Guide.  An additional safety guideline that I have provided in all of my wild food publications are my “Rules of Foraging”, which I developed and refined over my many years in working with and teaching wild food.  That list of rules is included at the end of this article.

My procedure after any wild food foraging adventure (and they always were an adventure, like the time I ran, almost literally, into a bear—but that’s another story!) was to set aside a certain amount to eat while the food was still fresh from the fields.  With the rest I would use my dependable drying and storing methods to keep quantities available to me throughout the winter, and often for years at a time.  I would also properly prepare those plants that I had learned would be valuable for helping with body issues.  I can tell you that I was never as grateful for my knowledge of medicinal plants and my dependable identification of them as I was when there was an emergency and I saw the blood gushing out from the tip of my husband’s finger from a chainsaw accident. 

One of my most reliable plants for such injuries is shepherd’s purse, and I can’t recommend highly enough what a good idea it is to have it in powder form readily available for emergencies.  The powder of that plant is what I put on my husband’s fingertip to stem the bleeding, and I kept using it on that finger until the bleeding stopped and it was healing.  Shepherd’s purse is what I used during another injury episode, when I cut off the very tip of my finger with a hatchet one time.  It grew back with no problem.  My use of that plant in both of those instances taught me the incredible medicinal value of a single plant.  The native Americans kept a little bag of shepherd’s purse seeds around their necks in case of emergency.

Shepherd’s purse is not only very valuable for blood clotting, even for serious cuts like those I mentioned, but it also is a nutritious food source.  The leaves can be eaten in salads, sandwiches, soups, and as a side vegetable.  The stems and seeds can be stir fried, and the buds and flowers can be eaten raw.  Seeds can also be used as a pepper substitute, and roots can be used fresh, or dried and used as a substitute for ginger.  And this very important plant is growing freely all around! 

Another wild plant that may be even more valuable medicinally as well as nutritionally is mullein.  This plant is probably more well-known than shepherd’s purse because of its amazing antihistamine properties.  I have friends who buy mullein tea, tinctures and capsules to help with bronchial relief and sinus problems.  I was very, very grateful to know about mullein when my son developed a serious cough during a 20 degree below zero wilderness winter day.  The usual pine tea and honey was not having any effect.  I could see the tips of the brown mullein spikes nearby so I went outside in the freezing cold and frozen ground and was able to dig out a foot-long mullein root.  I used it to brew a concentrated tea for my son.  He drank 2 tablespoons every hour and his cough was calmed and he proceeded to get well from that point.  You should know that mullein root tea is an effective expectorant and thus can help a person discharge the mucus from the throat and bronchial tubes.  I was so grateful that those mullein plants were “standing sentinel” outside my door and that they were available even in several feet of snow and in below zero temperature, to help me help my son. 

One summer when I was teaching a Girl Scout troop and we were on horseback, a horse kicked out and clipped the ankle of one of my scouts.  It was a bad injury.  I removed her shoe and then shouted for the other scouts to get some mullein leaves quickly, which they did.  We crushed the leaves with rocks and then made poultices and applied them onto the swollen ankle.  We used the mullein stalks as splints and the leaves became bandages until we could get the scout to the hospital.  The doctor who treated her was amazed that the girl had a chip fracture but no swelling or pain, and he wanted to know what plant was on her ankle!  Think of the savings to everyone, in terms of time, money and pain, if this valuable information where more widely known.

Here’s what I learned to do when anyone in my wilderness family felt a cold coming on: I would scrub a mullein root, simmer it in water for 10 to 15 minutes, and then whoever needed it would drink the medicinal tea.  That one root could be used several times to make tea. 

When there is a burn or wound that needs healing and you have mullein leaves and a heat source, gently break up a bunch of leaves (or one large leaf), put that in a pot of water and bring to a boil.  Remove from the heat, steep for 10 to 15 minutes and cool.  Take the leaves out, drain them a bit, and then place them directly over the bruised or hurt area.  Make a poultice with the cooled juice and add that to the area too.  A constant poultice will greatly aid in the healing process.  I knew that the Native Americans used mullein leaves to heal elbows and shoulders, so I figured out that placing mullein leaves in my sneakers when I knew I would be walking long distances would probably soothe my tired feet and prevent blisters, and I was right!  I put those leaves in my sneakers ever after when I went on my foraging trips.  I also liked to use mullein to help relieve the irritation from bug bites.  A different but very helpful use of mullein was for lamp wicks when we were snowed in.  A small piece of the leaf cut to size, dried, and soaked in oil will burn for quite a while. 

Another wild plant that is both edible and medicinal is plantain.  Plantain is so common that you are likely to find it growing in your lawn, in fields, and around construction sites.  It’s very plentiful and useful.  There are two types of plantain:  long leaf plantain, and common plantain.  The entire plant is edible.  Young leaves can be eaten raw or cooked, the stalks can be dried for vegetable chewies, the seeds used as sprouts in salads and other dishes.  But I can tell you from my own personal experience, and for anyone I know who tried it, the first thing I did for bee stings was to make a “band aid” out of the leaves of the common plantain and apply it to the sting.  Here’s how I taught children to do this:  First I would show them exactly how to identify that plant.  I would then have them pick three leaves, inserting one of the leaves in between the other two, and then roll that into a cigar-shaped, cylindrical form.  I would find a rock they could hold and then I would have them pound on their leaves to make them a little bit juicy.  That inner leaf, when unwrapped and moist, becomes a poultice for the sting, to help draw out the poison.  Water could be added if needed so that the poultice is moist when applied to the sting area. 

Of course this would all need to be done quickly, but before I took children out into an area where they could be stung, I always made sure that we would scope out where there were common plantain plants.  Then we would practice making the poultices so the children knew what to do.  They just loved the idea of doing something themselves that was effective against bee stings.  My work with teaching children about wild plants, both as food sources and as freely available aids for their bodies, is one of the most rewarding aspects of everything I did in wild food.  My recently released Wild Food Homeschool Package was compiled from my wild food materials specifically so that the activities I did with children would be available to parents to teach to their children. May these children pass it on through the generations and help us get back to our roots, literally.

While the current political outlook may seem very bleak, never forget that in every wilderness area where you go to seek survival, there will be wild plants growing freely all around you.  Be sure that you have with you materials that teach you how to become certain with identification, and which also include specifics on harvesting, drying, storing and preparing wild food and wild medicine.  I have done exactly that during my life, and now I have compiled all the information I could, to help you all do the same.  I hope it will be enough to see you, and everybody you know and love, through the tough times ahead.

The Rules of Foraging
These rules are for your own protection when investigating plants that are new to you. If followed closely, they will protect you in the field.

1.) DO NOT collect plants closer than 200 feet from a car path or contaminated area.
2.) NEVER collect from areas sprayed with herbicides, pesticides, or other chemicals.
3.) DO NOT collect plants with RED STEMS, or red striations or stripes.
4.) ALWAYS BE FAMILIAR with all dangerous plants in YOUR area of collection.
5.) POSITIVELY IDENTIFY all plants you intend to use for food.
6.) Take a piece off the plant and roll between your fingers.  SNIFF CAREFULLY.  Does it smell like something you would eat?  If it doesn’t, DISCARD IMMEDIATELY.  If it does, go to rule 7.
7.) Take another piece off the plant and roll until juicy.  RUB the tiny piece on your gum above your teeth.
8.) WAIT 20 minutes.
9.) DOES YOUR GUM ITCH, BURN, TINGLE, SWELL OR STING?  If no reaction occurs, go on to rule 10.
10.) Take another piece of the plant and put in a teacup.  Add boiling water and steep for 5 minutes.  SIP SLOWLY for 20 more minutes.  WATCH FOR NAUSEA, BURNING, DISCOMFORT.  If no reaction occurs, you may ingest a small amount.
11.) WAIT ANOTHER 20 MINUTES and watch for any reaction.
12.)  Keep all samples AWAY from children or pets.
13.)  Store all seeds and bulbs AWAY from children and pets.
14.)  Teach children to keep all plants AWAY from their mouths and DO NOT ALLOW children chew or suck nectar from any unknown plants.
15.)  AVOID smoke from burning plants. Smoke may irritate the eyes or cause allergic reactions QUICKLY.
16.)  BE AWARE of your neighbor’s habits with chemicals, pesticides and herbicides.
17.)  BEWARE: heating or boiling doesn’t always destroy toxicity.

DISCLAIMER:
This is information about wild food.  The editors of SurvivalBlog nor the author make no claims as to the correctness, safety or usability of the data.

The information contained herein is intended to be an educational tool for gathering and using wild plants.  The information presented is for use as a supplement to a healthy, well-rounded lifestyle.  The nutritional requirements of individuals may vary greatly, therefore the author and publisher take no responsibility for an individual using and ingesting wild plants.

All data is to be used at your own risk.  Using the Rules of Foraging greatly helps to reduce that risk, but even they are not foolproof.

About The Author: Linda Runyon is a widely recognized expert on wild food foraging. Her web site is: OfTheField.com.

Pat’s Product Review: Black Hills Ammunition

I actually got started writing back in 1983, when I reviewed books for a Christian bookselling company. These were soon-to-be-released books. My “pay” for reviewing the books, was that, I got to keep the books. I built-up quite a library of Youth Ministry books over a couple years. I had help along the way, with my meager writing efforts, and I still don’t consider myself any sort of writer, per see – but I hopefully can communicate with my readers, so they understand what I’m trying to convey to them.
 
It was 1992, before I started writing firearms articles, and it was as the insistence of the late Col. Rex Applegate – I worked for the good Colonel for three years and I will be forever grateful to him, for all he taught me. Now, when Applegate told you to do something – you did it – not out of fear, but rather, out of respect. Applegate told me to start writing firearms articles, and he opened a lot of doors for me in this respect. I met the late Chuck Karwan, who was a fantastic writer, and for quite some time, Chuck was my personal editor – checking over my articles before I submitted them. It was Karwan, who told me to just write the way I speak – easy-going. When I first started out, I was overly technical in my articles. “Thanks” Chuck – for all you did for me – you are missed! I met the great Wiley Clapp, who I had admired for years – we worked together on the very first video that Paladin Press put out. I also worked with Tommy Campbell, on this same video, and he was the top shooter, at one time, for Smith & Wesson. Peder Lund, who owns and operates Paladin Press – he published one of my books, “SWAT Battle Tactics” that I co-authored with my late friend, and Hall of Fame martial artist, Master John McSweeney.
 
Col. Applegate always taught me to give credit where credit is due. Don’t take credit for someone else’s works – acknowledge when someone has helped you along life’s road. So, it is with this attitude, that I would like to introduce SurvivalBlog readers to Jeff Hoffman, who owns and operates Black Hills Ammunition with his wife, Kristi. It was actually Chuck Karwan, who introduced me to Black Hills ammo back in 1992, and to Jeff Hoffman. If you’ve followed my firearms articles on SurvivalBlog, or in the gun magazines over the past 20 years (I no longer write for gun magazines) you’ll be familiar with the brand-name of Black Hills Ammunition. I use the ammo in just about every firearms article I write.
 
I believe it would be safe to say, that in more than 20 years of writing about firearms, I’ve easily fired at least a hundred thousand rounds of Black Hills ammo – maybe twice that amount – I’ve lost track. Jeff Hoffman told me, when I first start using his ammo, to never let my ammo locker run dry – and he’s been supplying me with his outstanding ammo for all these years. Without his help, I wouldn’t have been writing as many firearms articles as I have – I simply wouldn’t have been able to afford to purchase all the ammo I’ve shot while writing those articles. Black Hills is now one of the big names in the ammo industry, too.
 
One thing that Black Hills Ammunition does, that no other big name ammo company does, is that, they hand inspect each and every round of ammo before it is packed. No other big name ammo company does this! I have never had a bad round of ammo from Black Hills in all my years of shooting their ammo. I wish I could say the same of some other big name ammo makers – in particular, Remington. I’ve found numerous bad rounds of ammo from their boxes – many times primers were upside down or even sideways in a shell – and many dead primers, too. Jeff Hoffman assures us of the best quality control out there – if you want lesser quality ammo, you can find it, but you won’t find lesser quality ammo from Black Hills.
 
Jeff Hoffman, isn’t just an ammo maker, he’s also a part-time cop, a sniper on a SWAT team, too – and he’s authored a few magazine articles on the topic of long-rang shooting, too – he knows his stuff. He won’t settle for anything except the best ammo money can buy. Hoffman takes his job very seriously – he and Kristi are Black Hills Ammunition – along with all their knowledgeable and capable employees and staff.
 
I can’t possible cover all the different ammo that Black Hills Ammunition manufactures in this article, however, I wanted to touch on a few calibers in particular. First up is their .223 Remington and 5.56mm calibers – and no one, that I’m aware of, makes a wider assortment of .223 Rem ammo than Black Hills does. They have the bases covered from their 36-grain Varmint Grenade loading, to their heavy 77-grain Sierra Matchking Hollow Point – and everything in between. And, most folks aren’t aware that, Hoffman makes a proprietary round for ALL of our US Special Forces units – it’s a 77 grain 5.56mm round, that is proven very effective for longer shots on the enemy. I’ve only, in the past year, have been able to get my hands on some of this ammo for testing in my AR articles – it’s always in demand by our troops, so I didn’t mind waiting, until there was a few rounds that could be shipped to me – I prefer our SF guys get it before I did! If you can’t find a Black Hills loading in .223 Rem or 5.56mm rounds that shoots well in your AR rifles, then it’s the gun – not the ammo! Simple as that! You should also be aware that, Black Hills has a pretty extensive line-up of remanufactured ammo, too – not just their red box new ammo. We all have our favorite loads, and if I were to pick one .223 Rem round from Black Hills, it would be their 68-grain Heavy Match Hollow Point loading – it shoots great in any AR I’ve run it through.
 
In the 9mm department, I have two favorites, and I don’t know if I could nail it down to just one of these rounds as my favorite. I like the 124-grain JHP +P load, that is coming out of full-sized duty guns at about 1,250 per second. I like the 124-grain bullet because they penetrate a little deeper and expand well. It’s a great load. I also love the 115-grain Barnes all-copper Tac XP +P load – this load is coming at about 1,200 feet per second, and it penetrates deeply and stays together – no matter what it might hit. Many years back, we didn’t  have such a variety of 9mm self-defense ammo – the few JHP loads we had, just didn’t perform all that well, that’s why the FBI and many police departments switched the .40 S&W load – they wanted a load that would penetrate deeply enough to do some damage, and a round that held together, too. An interesting turn of events is now taking place with many police departments in that, they are dropping the .40 S&W round and going back to the 9mm with high performance JHP ammo. Many police officers aren’t into shooting, and don’t practice on their own, and they have a lot of misses and low qualifying scores with the .40 S&W round. When they went back to the 9mm – their qualification scores really shot up there, and they are getting the same manstopping results on the streets in real life, that they were getting with the .40 S&W rounds. What’s old, is now “new” – all over again.
 
Black Hills has a 140-grain Barnes all-copper Tax XP .40S&W round that I really like. It is coming out of the barrel at around 1,100 feet per second, and once again, the Barnes all-copper, hollow point bullets penetrate deeply and stay together. If I had to pick one Black Hills .40 loading to carrying in my handguns in .40S&W, this is “the” load of my liking! It is controllable, and will get the job done. ‘Nuff said!
 
When it comes to the grand ol’ .45ACP, Black Hills has a good selection, but once again, I have my preferences. For self-defense, I like their 185-grain Barnes, all-copper, hollow point, TAC XP load that is rated at +P. However, I’ve found this load to be very controllable, too. It will penetrate deeply, and the bullets stay together – this is important! This round is coming out of a 5″ Bbl 1911 at about 1,100 feet per second. For everyday shooting, I like the Black Hills .45ACP 230-grain FMJ load – while not advertised as a “match” load, I’ve always had match-grade results with this loading, and wouldn’t hesitate to use in in a competition – it’s “that” accurate. And, don’t forget, Black Hills also manufactures reloaded handgun ammo for all your paper-punching needs.
 
In the .308 Winchester round, I love the 168-grain Hornady A-Max loading – this is just a great all around big game loading, as well as being an outstanding “sniper” load, for those long range shots. If I had to pick one .308 Win loading for my big game hunting needs, this would be it. They also produce a 180-grain Nosler Accubond loading, and this is great for long-range shooting at big game, like elk or moose.
 
I don’t do much reloading these days, I simply don’t have the time any longer. However, when I do reload, I only reload .300 Win Mag rounds, and I’m very proud of a load I came up with. Enter the Black Hills .300 Win Mag 190-grain Match Hollow Point load – this load is used by snipers all over the world, and it is, without a doubt, the most accurate .300 Win Mag load I’ve ever fired – in any rifle chambered in .300 Win Mag. Given a good rifle, and a good shooter, it will do all you ask of it, and routinely shoots sub MOA. My own .300 Win Mag reloads equal this load, but I can’t beat it – not matter how hard I’ve tried – I’ve tweaked my .300 Win Mag loads every which way I can, but I can’t beat this Black Hills loading – I can only match it!
 
So, these are only a few of my favorite Black Hills Ammunition loadings. I’m betting you’ll find something to your liking, if you take the time to go through their web site. Just be advised, the great ammo drought is still going fairly strong, and you may not find everything you want at Black Hills these days. Jeff Hoffman, has worked very hard at keeping me supplied with his outstanding ammo for my articles, and even so, he’s out of certain calibers and types of ammo these days. I’m dying to get my hands on some of the .45ACP 185-grain Barnes all-copper TAC XP +P loads, but they are out-of-stock right now – but Jeff has me on his list, to send me some, as soon as they get more made.
 
Look, if you want a lesser ammo, then go to one of the big box stores and buy it. You’ll be getting good ammo – but you won’t be getting ammo better than what Black Hills Ammunition is making these days. If you want some of the best ammo on the planet, then check out what Black Hills has to offer. One word of advice, though – you’ll be spoiled, and the ammo from the other big name ammo makers won’t be up to your expectations, after using Jeff and Kristi Hoffman’s ammo. You’ve been warned! – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio

Some Brief Advice on Establishing Trusts

I often have readers and consulting clients write to ask me about establishing family trusts. These are used to shelter assets including land, houses, vehicles, and firearms. In the context of present-day America, one of the goals of any good trust is anonymity. So I recommend that you pick a generic “vanilla” name that is innocuous and that is un-related to your family surname, your locale, the nature of the included assets, your politics, your religion, or your personal interests. The goal here is to have name that won’t trigger suspicion or scrutiny. Some good choices would be “The Hallifax Trust” or “The Sunnyside Trust.” Some bad choices would be: “The Porter Family Patriot Trust, “The Spirit of 1776 Trust”, “The Auric Trust” or “The Kalashnikov Trust.”

In the past, I’ve recommended creating a separate gun trust, primarily for NFA registered ($5 and $200 Federal transfer tax) guns and suppressors. But that window of opportunity appears to be closing. – JWR

JWR is Looking for a Beta-Light Mapreader or Torch (or Two)

For my own use here at the ranch I’m looking to purchase a fresh and bright (less than three year old) original tritium Beta-Light map reader. I can use one with or without an integral compass.

If you are confused about what I’m seeking, see this photo. I’d also consider buying one or two Beta-Light Torches (flashlights).

They should be marked with any of these NSNs:

Map Readers:

NSN: 6605-99-186-9075
NSN: 6605-99-458-1598
NSN: 6605-99-593-2157

Torches (tritium flashlights): NSN: 6260-99-965-3582

I can pay cash (Bitcoin, PayPal, PMO, greenbacks, or whatever,) or I’m willing to work out some great trades from the hundreds of full capacity magazines that I’ve stocked up for barter in Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR.) – JWR

Recipe of the Week:

J.B.’s Creamy Rice Pudding

Take 1 cup of white rice and add 2 cups of water in a pot capable of holding at least 9 cups. 
Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer for 6 minutes.  Stir once or twice.
Cover pot, turn off heat and go milk the cow or goat.  While you’re at it, go check the chickens for a few eggs.
Return in no less than 30 minutes.

Fluff the now cooked rice and add 3 cups of fresh milk and sweeten to taste. Stir well.  One to two cups of sugar is plenty for most.
(At this point some raisins or other dried fruit may be added if preferred.  For a more unique taste, two oz. of Jack Daniels may be added.  The alcohol will evaporate leaving an interesting flavour.)
Return to heating & bring to a slow simmer for 45 minutes to an hour stirring occasionally. Be sure to stir the very bottom of the pot.  
If the pudding is getting dry or cooked out, add some milk.  You cannot over cook it but you can burn it if there is not enough moisture. Keep an eye on it.
At the end of an hour of simmering things should be looking pretty much like pudding.

The last step: Slowly add 2 well scrambled eggs and a healthy splash of vanilla.  
Increase the heat a little and stir vigorously for 3 to 5 minutes until egg & vanilla are well mixed in & the egg is cooked.

Remove from heat, sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg, let cool, give thanks and enjoy.  

(If doubling or otherwise multiplying the recipe, the times do not change, but the pot size will.) 

Useful Recipe and Cooking Links:

Traditional Pudding Recipes

Rice Pudding recipe

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

Economics and Investing:

Insider: Supermarkets Have Less Than One Day Supply Of Food On Hand

RBS sent a link to some fascinatingly detailed information: Farm Subsidy Data. RBS says: “The database tracks $256 billion in farm subsidies from commodity, crop insurance, and disaster programs and $39 billion in conservation payments paid between 1995 and 2012. Just enter your ZIP code and you will find who has taken subsidy money from the Feds.”

Worth ranting about: Dylan Ratigan speak up about U.S. government obligations.

Items from The Economatrix:

Complete Collapse & Economic Meltdown Will Shock The World

Why The Gold Surge Is Just Starting: Peter Schiff

US Credibility Continues To Erode: Gundlach