Notes from JWR:

Our friend Tam over at the always entertaining and often hilariously funny View From The Porch blog reminded me on a more serious note that today is the 100th anniversary of madman John Schrank’s assassination attempt on the life of President Theodore Roosevelt. Teddy, a statesman who was obviously made of sterner stuff than many of our contemporary politicians, went ahead with presenting a lengthy speech that day, even though a .38 caliber bullet was lodged in his chest. (The bullet went through a steel eyeglasses case and a 50-page speech manuscript, slowing it down considerably. Roosevelt carried that bullet in his chest until his death from a heart attack, seven years later.)

—

Today we present another entry for Round 43 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, 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 $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo. and G.) A $200 gift certificate, donated by Shelf Reliance.

Second Prize: A.) 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. B.) A FloJak FP-50 stainless steel hand well pump (a $600 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. C.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, D.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, E.) Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value) and F.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 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.), and E.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 43 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.

Prepping for Newbies, by M.G.D.

If you’re just now catching on to the need to prep, it’s not too late, but to be done effectively, it will cost you some money up front.
There are plenty of suggestions and web sites galore for the budget-challenged to prep ranging from buying a little extra each week—see the LDS shopping list for newlyweds—to hunting, fishing and foraging on state land. At the other extreme are those who can afford survivalist-consultants to build and stock extensive underground bunkers, which require the employ of a staff including farmers and Blackwater-type security. But, since no one else is, I’m going to focus on the needs of someone who needs to get up to speed fast and has enough money to cover it.  And getting up-to-speed has recently been sped up to two years of preps from six months.
Let’s get going.

Time’s Running Out
There are already sporadic shortages of various consumer products and, depending on how bad things get, there may come a time when some items aren’t available at all, especially things that come from far away. A few years ago when surveying the wreckage after the 2008 crash, a consumer-products analyst was worried about what choice the consumer would be left with as the Great Recession deepened. Yes, I know, choice will be the least of our concerns going forward, but you should stock up on what’s important to your family now while it’s still possible.
The take-away here is not that the needs of what’s left of the middle class are different from anyone else’s. The point, again, and unfortunately, is that it will take that kind of income or enough room left on credit cards to catch up to storing two years of necessities. And preferably, this should be accomplished before the November elections in the US. Our long-time friend, FerFAL, has a few insights about what to expect from mid-November (scroll down to What will Happen in the USA after the Elections.)

Everybody’s got to Eat
The shopping list below will cover bulk purchases and storage of food, water and minimal toiletries in quantities sufficient to get by for two years. You can still buy the dips when favourite items go on sale; however, I don’t think there’s enough time left to use the Mormon’s weekly shopping list that is spread out over a year.

Whether or not you buy into TEOTWAWKI mentality or not, at the very least, storms and other natural disasters can keep you running your generator for a week or a lot longer. This happened in the Northeast during last October’s freak snowstorm and happens repeatedly in other parts of the country. Oh, wait a sec; you do have a generator, don’t you? It’s at the top of 100 Things that Disappear First. You gotta have a generator. You also gotta have fuel for it, which you gotta store. If it’s gasoline, you’ll need a gasoline additive like Sta-Bil. Get the original formula for the [gasoline] generator and lawn tractor, Sta-Bil marine for your boat if you have one and Sta-Bil diesel for your Mercedes.

Talking about Mercedes, when the drought reached crisis stage in Somalia more than year ago, many Somalis—but not all—had to walk for days, weeks and sometimes a month to get to the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. One woman who didn’t have to walk was approached by reporters as she got out of a car with her kids. Her car was a Mercedes, but she didn’t have food and had to go to the refugee, camp. And why didn’t she have food; why didn’t she barter her car, cell phone or expensive wristwatch for food? Because there wasn’t any. There wasn’t any food at any price. Can it happen here? The US had a drought this year after a lousy growing season last year. The effects of these things are cumulative. So’s radiation poisoning, BTW, but we’ll get to that some other time.

Many items will end up in short supply or not be available at all. Note the Iranian diplomatic staff stocking up on consumer products (at dollar stores, mind you; times must be tough over there) while in New York to attend UN meetings. You’d think they’d have a few bucks, so I guess the items they bought were no longer available in Iran. Their currency plunging 20-30% over a day or two didn’t help either. I hope no one still thinks it can’t happen here.

Rule of Thumb
The rule of thumb has been to store six months of food, cash and anything else you need. Some think two years are safer and I do too. While you may have to increase your food budget 100-fold short term, keep in mind that this is a no-lose proposition. Anything you buy today will be more expensive tomorrow. So, as you effectively pull consumption forward, you will be average-costing down your household expenses. Even if prepping in anticipation of scarcity doesn’t grab you, blunting the effect of inflation, or a potential jobless stretch, should. I don’t see much of a downside here. Preps not used can be donated to a local food pantry for a tax deduction. If you have the extra funds, that would be a nice idea anyway.

Two Years’ Worth…

Drinking Water: This is considered the most important prep. The plastic containers water is sold in leach so you should store drinking water in glass containers. I bought gallon glass jars from: http://www.freshwatersystems.com 

The Mayo Clinic recommends [a minimum of] 72 oz/day for women and 104oz/day for men [for a sedentary lifestyle]. Together, that’s about a gallon a day with enough left over to fill your cat or dog’s bowl. FreshWaterSystem’s price break for gallon jars is $4.24 for 24+. Here’s where the bucks come in. If you want to safely store drinking water for six months for two adults and a cat, that would be about 180 [one gallon] jars for $339.20; one year $678.40; and two years $1,356.80. The plastic jugs that you buy milk in are now formulated to biodegrade, but can be used to store water for bathroom use should it not be forthcoming from the faucet.

Tip: You can fine tune water purity by filtering it through a Big Berkey or other countertop water filter. If you’re looking at second homes, with prices coming down, look for something with a well. If you can dig a well where you are now, do so and install a solar pump.

Adequate Nutrition: The recommended daily calories for women* are 2,400—1,600/day depending on age and 3,000—2,000/day for men.** The easiest way to get sufficient calories and

Tip: Rice, beans and maybe a few other veggies can be made quite palatable with teriyaki or soy sauce. I bought a lifetime’s supply of Kikkoman Teriyaki Sauce at http://www.buythecase.net $39 a 36-bottle case, which was a bargain over grocery-store prices.
Sautéing veggies and meats in olive oil improves the taste and adds nutrients. Oil lasts several years in unopened glass bottles or metal cans; just make sure you get it in glass bottles or cans.

*A woman aged 19 to 30 years needs between 2,000 and 2,400 calories daily; 31 to 50 years 1,800 to 2,200 calories daily; those over age 51 need 1,600 to 2,200 calories daily.

Males** ages 19 to 30 need 2,400 to 3,000 calories a day, those 31 to 50 need 2,200 to 3,000, depending on level of activity. Males over age 51 need 2,000 to 2,800 calories a day.

Coffee and Tea: I don’t think it’s asking too much to include coffee and tea in a survivalist diet. ByTheCase.net carries several brands and sizes of coffee and tea including non-dairy creamer, which probably has a shelf life of infinity. Honey will last indefinitely too. Ground coffee in an unopened can will last two years or longer. Tea in bags in their unopened box or transferred to a lidded glass jar will last at least two years.

Spices and Condiments: Among common household items that store indefinitely are salt, sugar (preferably stored in glass or metal cans), honey and mayonnaise (unopened in a glass jar).
Those that last two years or more include dried or powdered garlic (2 years), dried or powdered onion (2-3 years); ground pepper (2-3 years); peppercorns (3-4 years). Here’s a good site to lookup shelf life: StillTasty.com.

Dollar-Store Spices: Prices are so much better at dollar stores that, for these items, I suggest actually shopping in a store. If you don’t want to spend the time, but are okay with spending the extra money, there are online sources. You can also buy cases of spices from the dollar store.

Pet Food: From a vet: “Generally speaking, if you buy the more expensive all-natural foods, the natural preservatives such as vitamin E used do not work as long as the preservatives used in cheaper foods. They break down. This is reflected in the best-used-by-date posted clearly on the higher-end pet foods. Dry pet foods with natural preservatives may be kept under 85 degrees sealed in a container in the original bag for about 4 months, while foods with other preservatives may be kept as much as three years if kept properly sealed up cool and dry. Just kept in the bag, I would not keep dry pet food past three months.”

Dog Food: Nutritional requirements for a dog aren’t that much different than for a human. They can be fed people food and do fine.

Cat Food: This isn’t so for cats, however. There is a good article on the subject from Cornell’s Vet School.  In a SHTF scenario, kitty may have to make due with certain people foods. Low acid foods have a greater shelf life than those with higher acids in them. Fish and meat are low acid foods, hence, can be stored for a long time. Canned fish and meat can be stored unopened for about 2-5 years. Ask your vet about vitamin supplements.

Toiletries: Preppers are obsessed with toilet paper. I don’t know why, but I bow to their greater experience. Since it’s bulky, it’s a lot easier to have delivered than to buy it at the store. Here’s where I bought Ultra-Soft Charmin (the price break is at 40 rolls) at  Restockit.com.  Conservatively, budget 1.5 rolls per person, per week. That’s 78 rolls per year/one adult or 156 rolls for two adults. For two years/two people you’ll need 312 rolls or about 8 cartons @ $38.94/carton for a total of $311.52.

Tip: Toilet paper is considered to be a high-value barter item amongst the prepper cognoscenti. It also makes a nice hostess gift or Christmas stocking stuffer. Think of all those omelet brunches you’ll be invited to by backyard chicken farmers when they know you’ll show up with a roll. Not having gone through the above formula before I placed my order, I now have plenty to barter with.

Wrapping Up

If you place orders for the above items—all of which can be done online—you and your companion pets will have two years of adequate nutrition and safe hydration plus toilet paper. I’ll go into other food and toiletry items that will help maintain well being in subsequent articles.

JWR Adds: I realize that in many jurisdictions inside city limits with civic water supplies it is illegal to drill a well. But if you live in a region with a high water table and it is legal to do so, then go ahead and drill!

Regardless, you should convert your roof downspouts to fill water barrels. That water is fine as-is for gardening or toilet flushing. If you have a composition roof or a roof with treated wood shakes, you should plan to re-roof with a metal roof. Not only will it give you better fire protection, but it will also eliminate most contaminants from captured rainwater. If used for drinking, captured rainwater should be run through a good quality high volume ceramic filter such as a Big Berkey. (Available from several SurvivalBlog advertisers.)

Not all plastics leach toxins. Food grade HDPE is perfectly safe for water storage. Glass jars are not advised in earthquake country, but they are fine anywhere else. However, the cost per-gallon cost of storing water in jars is dramatically higher than using HDPE barrels, tanks, or tank totes. That is the only affordable way for most folks to set aside a large supply for dry seasons.

Economics and Investing:

Reader P.D. sent: US Nears Fiscal Disaster: ‘Washington Doing Nothing’

Kurt sent this: No Currencies Will Survive What Lies Ahead, But That’s OK

Mac Slavo: Warning Signs: FedEx to Slash Thousands of Jobs Citing “Weak Global Economic Conditions”

Items from The Economatrix:

Confidence Among Small US Businesses Cooled in September

Price of Gold Could Reach $2,400/oz. By Next Summer

Is Housing Recovering Like People Think It Is?

Greece’s Debt Nightmare Just Got Worse

Odds ‘n Sods:

Jon C. suggested this article: Five Great Reasons to Grow Vegetables Vertically

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M.K.P. sent an article from Chile about the many pitfalls of building… The Microhydro Plant. This clever fellow even wound his own transformers! And BTW, he also has nice taste in old tube radios.

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Gregg mentioned: The next human pandemic

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B.B. sent: Massive Manure Pile Delivered to Ohio Democratic Offices. For better effect, take a lesson from our English cousins. The misexcremants should have fired up a power manure spreader just inside the front door, and reaaally let the Schumer fly.

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The editor of the If It Hits The Fan blog wrote a nice review of Founders.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
But of that day and [that] hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
[For the Son of man is] as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.
Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:
Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.” – Mark 13:31-37 (KJV)

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 43 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, 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 $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo. and G.) A $200 gift certificate, donated by Shelf Reliance.

Second Prize: A.) 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. B.) A FloJak FP-50 stainless steel hand well pump (a $600 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. C.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, D.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, E.) Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value) and F.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 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.), and E.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 43 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.

Fruit Trees: The Long Term Garden Companion, by Christopher G.

With the cost of groceries going up peppers know that being self-sufficient and creating their own garden is critical, but are you really looking at plants for the long term? Heirloom variety plants like tomatoes are essential to keep around, but if a day comes that you can no longer buy those seeds it is going to be a real pain to try and sort the seeds out from your food source. Taking a closer look at adding fruiting trees to your property and where they can fit into your landscape will make a huge difference in what your land can provide for you in the long term. For arguments sake, I’m going to focus on apple trees, because they can grow in the vast majority of climates throughout the United States, including areas that are within the American Redoubt.
Start by taking a look at what kind of fruits will grow in your area, obviously an orange tree will not grow outside in Pennsylvania, but apples would work very well in that climate. Take a look at the hardiness zone that your location is in, and then begin looking at fruit trees that will tolerate your climate. Rather than looking at older varieties of apples for example, it’s better to concentrate your search on the newer cultivars that are disease resistant; this will make a huge difference in terms of the quality of the fruit the tree will produce once it has established. Once you have a couple varieties in mind, start looking for places that will accommodate a mid-sized tree. You can build a fantastic orchard on less than a half-acre of property, but for those that are under really tough size constraints, you need to look at espalier fruit trees. Espalier trees are specially pruned to go up against the sides of walls or fences, and sit almost flat against that space, and still produce fruit. They require more pruning than a traditional orchard tree, but the compact size is definitely a plus.

| Purchasing apple trees can be a bit tricky, because you need to be aware of what you’re buying to get the most of your money. Big box stores will probably have small fruit trees in containers, but I would recommend going to an independent garden center instead, the quality of the plant material will be much higher than what you can find at a chain, and their staff will be able to offer expert advice on how to care for the plants. Depending on the size you are looking for, you will find the trees either in a plastic container or balled and burlapped. I would suggest buying the biggest size possible, because although the cost will be higher, it will decrease the amount of time you will need to have a mature fruit tree. If on the other hand you have plenty of room plant an orchard, look for trees that have been pruned properly. An apple pruned for fruit production will not have a nice oval shape, but rather will look irregular and a bit ugly. If you can’t find trees that have been pruned for fruit production, buy what you can, and as they grow they can be trimmed to produce plenty of fruit.

Once you have your trees home, you’ll need to plant them out to establish. You’re going to want to dig a hole that is going to put the top of the root ball flush with the existing soil line, and about two to three times the width of the root ball. At this point, if you have the tree in a plastic container you want to remove the container and take a look at the root system of the tree. If the roots are white, go ahead and plant the tree, if they look orange or brown, or are wrapped around the bottom of the pot, take a spade and slash the roots apart, this may seem like a bad idea, but this process helps to create healthy roots as the tree becomes established. If you have a balled and burlapped tree, do not remove the tree from the burlap, or remove the cage from the outside of the burlap if it has one. Instead, place the tree inside the hole, and then peel back the burlap until it will be below the soil level, eventually the metal cage and the burlap will decompose as the tree matures. Finally, you’ll want to backfill the area with topsoil, and mulch around the trees as you go. Keep in mind that you do not want to pile the mulch around the base of the tree, and should only be about 2 inches above the soil line, and deeper and the trunk may begin to rot. I would advise you to use processed mulch rather than wood chips or grass clippings. The microbes in wood chips will suck much needed nitrogen away from the trees to decompose the wood chips, a problem you don’t have to worry about with bark mulch.

The next step is the really important one, and that’s watering. If you’re not watering your tree at least three times a week, you better be getting a lot of heavy rain where you live. For each new tree you plant you should be watering it every other day to keep it healthy. Don’t bother using a sprinkler because they won’t get down deep to where the new roots will develop. It’s best to turn your garden hose on a low trickle and let it go for 2 hours on each tree for at least the  first 6 weeks, or until you get a good hard frost in your area.

It will take a tree anywhere from one to three years to establish, so be patient and keep a watchful eye out for any discoloration of the leaves, early leaf drop, and other signs of an unhealthy tree. After the first winter you can go ahead and apply a basic fertilizer to promote strong growth, but be careful not to over-fertilize the tree, because this will cause the leaves to burn. Small stalks may rise from the base of the tree, which are called suckers. Cut back the suckers any chance you see them; they will do no good for your trees.

Pruning your trees will need to take place during the late winter or early spring before the tree pushes flowers or leaves. Grab a basic pruning guide for the trees you have, and don’t be afraid to hack it into an irregular shape, this will promote flower and fruit production better than a tree that has a natural shape. Espalier trees are a bit easier because of their design, but will require more work because of there is a lot of small growth occurring. For an espalier removing the vertical growth from the horizontal branches will spur flowering in the spring, which will lead to fruit come fall.

If you have done alright to this point, all you need is time. Your fruit trees need to mature a bit before they will produce the fruit you desire. Fruit trees are notoriously bad for having issues with pest and diseases, and as such those disease resistant varieties you picked at the garden center will have a big impact. Those perfect apples at the supermarket? They have been sprayed with a minimum 20 applications of pesticides to get them in that good of shape. In a collapse you’ll be lucky if you can treat them at all. The point I’m trying to make is that your expectations of food need to change. There is nothing wrong with an apple that hasn’t been treated, it just won’t be pretty. Taking the skin of the apple off will reveal a near identical fruit to the one from the store, and baked into pies or other dishes will mask and of the small blemishes that are below the skin. In rare cases, you may find that the pests have overtaken your trees, and the apples are unpalatable. In those cases you can still make good of the fruit by feeding it to livestock. Pigs and poultry will devour fruit that has been destroyed by insects, providing them with additional calories, which will eventually providing your family with additional calories.

At the end of their life, apple trees can still serve a purpose even after the last leaf has fallen. Smoking meats with apple wood produces a delightful flavor, that anyone who’s ever had apple wood smoked bacon will attest to. From my experience however, a healthy fruit tree will last for decades, and can be very long lived.

Not every tree you plant needs to be a food producer. Arguments for shade, screening, and ornamental trees are all valid even in a prepper’s yard, but it would be foolish not to have some woody plants that will continuously provide fruit for your family, your livestock, or the wildlife in your area. I strongly encourage everyone to plant at least one fruit tree at their location, even if for no other reason but to say you have an apple tree.

Letter Re: Lindsay Technical Books Quitting Business

I’ve just received the last catalog from Lindsay Technical Books. I said the last catalog, not the latest one, the last one. The publishing owner has announced his coming retirement beginning the day after February 28, 2013. So the company is going the way of Loompanics. This is a shame.

For those of you who don’t know, this is a book company which published books on how to make and build stuff, some from scratch. Mostly focusing on metalworking, blacksmithing, some woodworking, basic electrical stuff. Even some stuff on how to make booze. – Jim B.

JWR Replies: I am hopeful that another publisher will buy the rights to the Lindsay titles and keep most or all of them in print. But in case this doesn’t happen, I highly recommend that SurvivalBlog readers immediately round out their bookshelf of Lindsay references. Once they cease publishing, the books will undoubtedly become scarce and more expensive.

Economics and Investing:

Peter Schiff: Riding Into the Sunset or a Brick Wall?

Goldman Sachs President: We’re In A Unique Period of History Where ALL Major Economies Are In Deep Trouble

“Legalized Plunder of the American People” – G. Edward Griffin

Items from The Economatrix:

Fed’s Fisher Says US “Drowning In Unemployment”

High Cost Of Energy Leading Economy Into Recession

Will The Chinese Remnibi Replace The US Dollar As The Primary Reserve Currency Of The World?

Reality:  More People Requested Emergency Food Assistance Than Found Jobs

Odds ‘n Sods:

Recommended by F.J.: HomemadeTools.net

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An interesting documentary: We The Tiny House People: Small Homes, Tiny Flats. JWR’s comment: Simplicity is laudable, but tiny houses leave no room for long term food storage. 🙁 How about Plan B: A tiny house with minimal living space to heat but adjacent to it build a big un-heated barn/shop/root cellar building?

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The reach of the Internet is amazing. Even obscure acronyms that I created just for SurvivalBlog can now be found far and wide.

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Beware the signs of the times, even in a state like Idaho: “He’s a Constitutionalist”. All that Federally-funded police training that references the SPLC’s clap-trap is filtering down, with predictable results.

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Finally, a television show about guns with some intelligence and sufficient technical accuracy: Family Guns.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as [with] a shield.” – Psalm 5:11-12 (KJV)

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 43 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, 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 $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo. and G.) A $200 gift certificate, donated by Shelf Reliance.

Second Prize: A.) 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. B.) A FloJak FP-50 stainless steel hand well pump (a $600 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. C.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, D.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, E.) Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value) and F.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 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.), and E.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 43 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.

What’s in Your Pantry?, by Cathy H.

I wish I could remember the exact moment I became a “prepper”, although I would much rather use the term “aware”.  I’m sure everyone has that “A-ha” moment that sets them on the path to enlightenment, and that brings me to the subject of the day.  I would like to re-introduce canned food to all of those food snobs out there, because I once was one. Yes, it’s true – for me it was always “freshly caught”, “freshly killed”, “never frozen”, “minimally processed” and most especially “organic”.

As a child of the 1950s I was the unwilling guinea pig of early food engineering.  It was that heady time of instant coffee, minute rice, canned biscuits, and TV dinners. Forget all those home cooked meals that my grandmother used to cook. No more long hours slaving over a hot stove to put something nutritious on the table. This is sad to me because my Mom was actually a great cook – she was just a victim of misleading television advertising as many people still are today. If people were more interested in how their food is processed, and what actually goes into it, there might be some healthier folks walking about!

As a young adult during the 1970s I became a part of the early natural food movement in my own small way.  My husband and I were fortunate to have a few acres in the far suburbs of a major metro area.  We had a large vegetable garden and chickens, and I learned the arts of canning and freezing from his mother.  You see she was from an earlier generation than my Mom.  She was a product of the Depression and knew that you could not always count on being able to get food from the local grocery store. Having access to those fresh eggs and fresh vegetables inspired me in my own “slow food” movement. I came from a long line of excellent cooks, and I began to develop my cooking style to include everything from Southern-fried to haute cuisine. I even found the time to make homemade baby food when my children came along.

Flash forward to the present. As we all know life is not static.  First husband dies, family sells property, kids grow up, Mom marries again and boy does she luck out.  New husband is an outdoor guy and an electrical engineer to boot. We decided to purchase some acreage for our bug out location several years ago.  We are fortunate to be in a position to travel once or twice a month to our “farm” to practice living off the grid. We have a big metal building with no electricity or running water – just creek water, solar panels and LEDs, a generator and propane camp stove, which brings me in a roundabout way to “Cooking from Cans”.  You see, I’m one of those people who don’t care to eat “just anything” and my challenge was to see how creative I could actually be with those cans! Now I am well aware of the potential dangers of food in cans containing BPA (Bisphenol A) and the sodium factor, but when you are in a survival situation I think the possibility of long term side effects will take a back seat to starvation any day. 

So without further fanfare I would like to introduce you to some of my pantry cooking.  Even without a missile crisis or EMP these recipes will come in handy.  Maybe you are too tired to cook the full meal deal one evening, or perhaps paychecks aren’t coming quite as regular as they once did.  Food inflation is just around the corner folks so stock up while you can. The recent severe drought as well as the continued use of crops for fuel rather than food will have a dramatic effect on our financial well being, not to mention the continued insane monetary policies of the Federal Reserve.   I don’t call it hoarding – I call it being prudent!

SPICY MEXICAN CHICKEN
1 Can 10 oz. Rotel Drained (whichever flavor you prefer)
1 Can 15 oz. Black Beans Drained (any bean will do)
1 Can 12 oz Canned White Meat Chicken Drained
Here comes the hard part – dump them in a skillet and heat through for about 15 minutes. When I am preparing this under optimum circumstances I like to sauté an onion before the can dump. I usually add garlic, cumin, and salt and pepper.   I also add a “dash” of Mrs. Dash Southwestern Chipotle seasoning.  You can do a lot to jazz it up. I like to add cheese, green onion and crunched up corn chips if I have them on hand.  This is also really yummy in a flour tortilla burrito style. You could replace the canned chicken with rotisserie if you so desire or even fresh grilled chicken. Now here is where the food snob thing comes in.  All of my life I have eaten tuna from a can but wouldn’t be caught dead eating canned chicken.  Why not?  I guess ‘cause my Mama said it was icky.  Sad I know.  Costco has a six pack of canned white meat chicken for around $10.00 and it is delicious. Dried beans are fine to use as well, but what if you don’t have water or fuel to cook those for hours on end. Learn to trust the can.

Italian
Same as Mexican but add drained, regular or Italian style diced tomatoes instead of the Rotel and add a can of tomato sauce. I like to add some garlic, Italian seasoning and some Parmesan. If it’s not during said missile crisis or some other catastrophe it’s nice to sauté an onion and green pepper to jazz it up.  Serve it with some pasta, or if you want it vegetarian omit the chicken add some Cannellini beans. Spices are totally up to your imagination.

Cajun
Here again, basic chicken, tomatoes and tomato sauce.  Add onion and peppers if available.  Here’s where it gets interesting – OKRA!  Know what that is?  If you are from the South and don’t know, your momma is probably disappointed. Okra has a pretty fair amount of fiber. It comes in cans – just be sure to drain it first. Google it and see what you come up with. To me okra defines Cajun food – gumbo is just not gumbo without okra!  Use some garlic, Old Bay or bay leaf to jazz it up and serve over rice.  Try red kidney beans instead of chicken if you are so inclined.

Greek
 Rummage through those cans of beans and find two or three different ones – I like cannellini, kidney and garbanzo.  Drain, rinse and throw them in a bowl.  Got any jars of roasted red peppers?  Chop a few and throw them in.  Now if the hurricane left anything in your pantry or fridge, add a little olive oil, red wine vinegar, Garlic Mrs. Dash, chopped green onions (dehydrated or fresh), halved cherry tomatoes (or drained diced), and don’t forget the piece de resistance:  drained canned artichoke hearts. Green or black olives are always welcome and if you’ve really been industrious some homemade feta cheese crumbled over the top would be nice. I realize that most survival pantries probably don’t contain artichoke hearts or olives, but if we’re not talking imminent asteroid destruction they really add some flavor.  This is a hearty dish containing a lot of protein especially if you are able to add some cheese.

Home Style Vegetable Beef Soup
Now for a little variation let’s try canned beef instead of chicken (although you can use chicken if you like).  I prefer to rinse it off before using, but in a worst case scenario every little bit of nutrition and calories help.  Into a stock pot add the beef, non-drained tomatoes, onion (fresh or dehydrated), beef bouillon (if available), Veg-All, a bit of rice or potatoes, water to cover, and my favorite, okra. Add salt and pepper to your liking. You might not be as fond of okra as I am so skip it – the okra police will not come knocking I am sure! I realize that I am not giving exact proportions here – it’s not an exact science.  It will all depend upon the number of folks you are trying to serve and how hungry they are! 

Minestrone
This is the same recipe as the vegetable soup, but substitute macaroni for the rice or potatoes.  Skip the okra and add kidney beans; spice it up with garlic and oregano and add some torn spinach if available. What could be easier?

I hope these few simple recipes will help you with your pantry planning. It’s an easy way to stock your pantry without having to spend large amounts of money at one time.  Buy a few extra cans each week; we are only talking about ten or twelve varieties of canned food. If you don’t have a “pantry” put the cans in a box and slide it under a bed or in the back of a closet. Hopefully you will have rice and/or pasta on hand, and if you are really fortunate you have stocked up on dehydrated vegetables like onions and peppers.  I read once that the most difficult aspect of survival living was food boredom.  It seems as if people, and especially children, will actually refuse to eat if they are served the same food day in and day out. I’m not sure if this really applies to children as I could swear my kids ate peanut and butter and jelly sandwiches 24/7/365 for years on end!  Stock your pantry with plenty of spices and sauces – most are fairly inexpensive, and try to mix things up.  It could be the difference in living and thriving.  Happy Pantry Tummy!

Letter Re: How I Built My Own Rocket Stoves

James,
I recently fabricated my first two rocket stoves using $25 in parts per stove, and gave one to my local volunteer fire department fundraising auction.  It takes just over an hour to make one and it works great.  The fuel/vent stand is key for ensuring air flows under the fuel for maximum combustion.  The pot grill is key for ensuring maximum heat transfer to your cooking pot without choking the fire.  

It was pretty nice the other morning making scrambled eggs without having to use propane, electricity, or the fire pit.  The rocket stove is one of the most efficient wood fuel stoves ever devised.  

You can find a photo of one of the finished stoves, here.

The following is how I made the rocket stoves:

Materials
– 5 gal steel paint pail from commercial paint store, with lid $12 (or free if you find a used metal paint can)
– 18″ x 24″ wire deck from Lowe’s SKU# 319519 $5 
– 4″ galvanized duct elbow $4
– 24″ piece of 4″ galvanized duct $4
– small sheet metal screws
– Wood ashes

Tools
– Saber saw with metal blade
– drill bits and drill motor
– tin snips
– pliers
– vise
– electric hand grinder with metal cutting wheel
– half round file

Fabrication
– Cut the wire deck with the cutting wheel to create both the fuel/vent stand and the pot grill
– Bend legs of fuel stand at stable angle so that top of stand lines up with center of vent pipe when raised off of bottom of pail about an inch
– Taper front end of fuel stand so that three inches of it can fit into vent pipe without binding.  Leave two small studs protruding so that they can fit into notches cut into vent pipe
– Mark paint can on side where vent pipe would be centered and draw 4″ circle
– Do the same in center of paint can lid
– Remove foam seal in paint can lid
– Drill starting hole with 1/4″ bit and wiggle to widen hole enough for saber saw blade to fit
– Cut out both circles (don’t worry much about the quality of these holes
– Attach vent to elbow and fasten with three sheet metal screws, avoiding screw at top of vent where fuel will be shoved through
– Measure width of bottom of paint can and cut duct with grinder cutoff wheel so that the pre-assembled 90 degree angle will easily fit in the bottom of the can (it will protrude properly once the  duct is centered vertically in the can)
– Attach remaining section of duct to other end of angle duct
– Pre-install duct into both holes to confirm fit, and mark top end of duct at 1/2″ above top of lid and cut off excess duct with grinding wheel
– File cut edges of both ducts with half round file to reduce risk of sharp edges
– Fill paint can with wood ashes and slightly compress with hands as you fill it, while maintaining duct centered in can
– Put lid on and crimp closed with pliers
– Mark horizontal duct 1″ in from edge to align with the two attach stubs and drill clearance hole for fuel stand stubs
– Cut clearance notch in duct slightly above clearance holes to allow stubs to slide along duct and drop into place into the clearance holes like a detent position
– Cut remaining piece of wire deck so that you can bend four support legs and bend the outside corners in a bit to fashion a grill
– Cut the support legs so that the grill stands at 1/2″ (or slightly under) above the duct edge (this may take trial and error, but you want to maximize heat transfer to your pot without choking your air flow)
– You’re done.  The commercial guys sell an adjustable pot skirt which directs the heat up the sides of the pot.  I might make one of those as an accessory one of these days.