Letter Re: Sea Salt–An Indispensable Commodity for Uncertain Times

Dear Editor:
Roxanne with RMR makes a good point about sea salt adding flavor to a TEOTWAWKI diet. As a physician I must caution everyone that the brief mention she makes about iodine being added to “regular salt” is not a minor issue. In my practice I have identified modern day patients who are actually iodine deficient, something most physicians, even most endocrinologists, think can’t happen. A very respected endocrinologist whom I trained under speaks about when he was a child and families in Utah becoming iodine deficient over the course of winter because of their diet. Iodine needs to be a calculated part of a survival scheme, otherwise, children born post-TEOTWAWKI will be born with cretinism. It will be hard enough to take care of a family in these circumstances. Having one that is mentally retarded will only make survival that much more difficult. – Dr. G.

JWR Replies: Sea salt actually contains low levels of iodine, but not as much as found in commercial iodized salt. However, there are many foods like eggs, some seafoods, cheddar cheese and others that are commonly eaten which contain substantial amounts of iodine. So iodized salt isn’t truly necessary unless you are not getting iodine from these natural dietary sources. (For some details on storage foods, see the Rawles Gets You Ready Preparedness Course.) My own approach to be absolutely sure of providing sufficient level of iodine is as follows: I use bulk (one pound canister) iodized table salt when brining (such as when making venison and elk jerky) and in most of my cooking (such as the salt that I add to the water when cooking pasta). The onion salt that I also use when cooking some meats is also iodized. But the salt that I serve at my dinner table is Celtic Sea Salt. This way, I provide my family with the attributes of both products.

Economics and Investing:

U.S. Inflation to Approach Zimbabwe Level, Faber Says. (Thanks to Brian B. for the link.)

Reader Matt in in Tennessee notes that the animated national unemployment map (mentioned before in my blog) has recently been updated to include data from March, 2010. Matt’s comment: “The map grows darker and darker…like a cloud that hints of an impending storm.”

Joe K. mentioned that someone is auctioning one million copper pennies on eBay. That’s 7,000 pounds of copper!

G.G. sent us this: U.S. Mint’s May gold coin sales reach most since 1999

Courtesy of reader Becky P.: Greece Urged to Give Up Euro

Items from The Economatrix:

Gold at $2,500 Looks More Likely Than Ever

US Debt Soars to 90% of the GDP. (Gee, this sounds a lot like the national debt described in Greece…)

Tax Credits Fuel 6% Rise in April Home Sales

Consumers Snap Up Cars in May, Despite Fewer Deals

BP Share Price Collapse Hitting Pensions

Odds ‘n Sods:

Abram in Washington State mentioned a comparative nutritional analysis of canned, frozen and fresh fruits and vegetables conducted by the University of Illinois Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition.

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F.B.P. pointed out a US Department of Transportation map of truck traffic in the U.S. that can be added to your data set in choosing retreat locales.

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Reader RBS flagged this: West Poised for Worst Grasshopper Outbreak in 30 Years

Notes from JWR:

I am pleased to report that another valuable prize has been added to the assortment for the current round of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest: A complete M17 medical kit with a retail value of $179.95 has been added to the First Prize items, courtesy of JRH Enterprises, one of our most loyal advertisers. Be sure to visit their web site to check out their broad line of preparedness products at great prices. For example, they offer some hard-to-find NBC defense gear and night vision equipment. I thank them again for their long-term generous support of SurvivalBlog. They deserve your patronage.

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Today we present another entry for Round 29 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will include:

First Prize: A.) 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 between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Parabellum (Luger ) with 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP projectiles, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $249 value), and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) 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 $400, and B.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing, and B.) a Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.)

Round 29 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

 

Lessons in Survival From Rural Afghanistan, by FrmrMarineGrunt

I’ve spent the better part of the last decade in service to our nation. First as a Marine in Iraq and the last three years in Afghanistan as a civilian “security” contractor. And I’ve spent more of the last three years in a very rural valley in north-eastern Afghanistan than at home. In the last year with the birth of our first child, and the destruction of the ideals our country was founded on I found myself thinking more and more about the state of affairs in the world today and began to prepare for TEOTWAWKI. Starting as many beginner preppers do I began to accumulate silver and a small amounts of gold. Due to my professions I was ahead of the game in the guns and ammunition department from the beginning of my preparations. As I began to put together all the pieces of my plan I found myself trying to look for real world lessons in survival.

That’s when it dawned on me. I’ve spent the better part of the last few years in an area that is what TEOTWAWKI looks like, and I began to find problems with my survival plans upon comparison with the local community. First and foremost and my “expertise” is security.

The local communities have a simple but extremely effective security plan. Each village is basically it’s own militia. When the bad guys show up, or any unknown person, the alarm is raised and every able bodied male is alerted. This is done through a number of ways depending upon the time of day. At night flashlight signals or animal noises are used to raise the alarm. Hand-held radios are available but due to the monitoring of all UN-encrypted frequencies by coalition and the bad guys the local populace shy away from radio communications like the plague. A 155mm round landing on your family in the night because you keyed a radio can ruin your day. During daylight hours there are always members of each household outside doing chores and tending to animals so the alarm is spread simply by yelling or waving to one another. While extremely old school their methods are extremely effective. While observing this the importance of knowing your neighbors struck me. You quite simply are not going to defend yourself from a determined attack from a numerically superior enemy by yourself. The locals have learned this through centuries of war and genocide in the country and have adapted strong small community ties because of this. So get to know your neighbors, you don’t have to knock on their door and say, “Hi I’m here to get to know you so when the Schumer hits the fan we can defend ourselves.” A little familiarity will go a long way to creating a strong community in an emergency situation.

Another thing I observed was the amount of real hard physical work it takes in daily life in this country. There is constant activity through the daylight hours here. There are nearly always crops growing in the fields that are being tended to, clothes and rugs being washed dried outdoors, water buckets being hauled to and from the local water source, animals being taken to feeding grounds daily up in the mountains. And everyone in the family participates. The women can be seen doing all of the aforementioned tasks, the children are often shepherding the animals high into the mountains, often as young as 5 years old! If there were a social services here! The men are often in the fields and many hold a job as an unskilled laborer (not desirable) or a skilled laborer (extremely desirable) at one of the coalition bases in the area while still having to tend to their lands. Life for the locals is almost purely work. Most breaks from work here consist of praying or eating. One can see how important a role religion takes in a such a lifestyle (albeit a false religion) because there is little else to occupy one’s mind. Life is a physical grind and spiritual nourishment goes a long way to a happier existence.

Perhaps one of the biggest lessons in today economic environment that I have taken from my observations is the emphasis on tangible goods. The wealth of a family is measured by their access to clean water, the size of their goat and cow herds, and the ability to produce power for their house. (There is no power grid here. Each community must find a way to generate their own power if they want it.) When I first began working in this area I used to have a good laugh with my co-workers at the expense of the local populace. “I can’t believe they think they’re rich because they own 200 goats!” However I have since amended my thinking. Tangible goods truly are a measure of wealth here. The indigenous populace has very little faith in paper currency for good reason. Their national currency has changed many times and there is simply no guarantee it will be worth anything tomorrow. They prefer American dollars to their own because they believe that it will always have value. The joke may be on them before too long. When a family needs something here they can take their tangible goods and sell or trade for what they need. The winter wheat harvest not as good this year? Sell or trade some of your goats and cows for food and you’ve now expanded your food stores and reduced the amount of grain you have to feed your herd. Gasoline more expensive than usual? Offer to let your wealthier neighbors the use of your generator for a fee. These people have adapted so that if tomorrow the paper currency in Afghanistan goes to zero they can continue on with their daily lives much as they do today.

As I watched the daily lives of the Afghans in this area I compiled a small to do list for TEOTWAWKI. 1) Get to know my neighbors both in my city home and at the family retreat and be prepared to use very old world techniques to communicate. 2) Be prepared for the physical and mental grind of daily life in a survival situation. While I’ve been in excellent shape for years because of my profession I had let my spiritual fitness begin to lapse. 3) Assign each person in your family daily chores based upon age and ability. And if you live at your survival retreat do this NOW rather than later. 4) Own real tangible goods. Sure that fat savings account is great now but when the dollar goes to zero what are you going to do? Beans, bullets, and Band-Aids (and some precious metals) are going to be the currency of TEOTWAWKI. Don’t find yourself without a means of purchasing goods you are going to need. And I guarantee 99% of use don’t have everything we need for TEOTWAWKI and are going to need to purchase additional items and a $100 bill will be toilet paper in an economic collapse.

My experiences here in Afghanistan have gone a long way to my preparations. You don’t have to just take my word for it. Do some reading on life in third world countries around the world. These lessons and more will appear without fail in each and every instance. And to see what happens when people are not prepared in these countries one only has to look at the news of starvation, disease, and war around the world and see what becomes of those who cannot take care of themselves and their families.

Letter Re: COSTCO Stores as a Source for Storage Food and Survival Gear

Dear Jim,

I’m in no way affiliated with COSTCO but have the store to be an outstanding source for survival gear. The other night I saw in the store, for example:

Bottled water, rice, beans, canned foods, soup
Waterproof (submersible) 25-liter backpack what would make a good Bug Out Bag
Twin pack Motorola 35-mile (max/optimal conditions) FRS/GMRS radios with NOAA weather alerts: $50 — I bought a pair
Twin pack LED tactical aluminum flashlights with strobe setting: $20 –I bought several
Power Generators (two models)
Really good prices on batteries of all types (from AAA to marine)
Tarps, storage shelves, storage boxes/bins (the Allied Moving kit, seasonally available, is a great deal for a ton of cardboard boxes)
Bulk quantities of toilet paper, feminine products, diapers/wipes, etc.
Trash bags, foil, plastic wrap, ziploc bags, Gladware, etc.

First aid kits, bulk quantities of Band-Aids, hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, hand sanitizer
Bulk Vitamins, Over The Counter (OTC) medicines
5-gallon bucket of emergency food rations
A 14-gallon portable gas tank/pump-dispenser on wheels.

In the past I have seen other useful items such as photovoltaic panels, gun safes, etc.

I just wanted to point out that this fine company has apparently made a conscious effort to cater to the preparedness community. Best regards, – CZ

JWR Replies: You’ve reminded me that I should mention that my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course (presently offered at a special sale price) focuses on stocking up at “Big Box” stores, like COSTCO and Sam’s Club. The course includes a “walking tour” that I narrated at a Sam’s Club store. (It was transcribed and is included in the course binder. In it, I show in the course how to stock up inexpensively at Big Box store, all in just one or two trips, even if need be at the Eleventh Hour.

Letter Re: Selecting Livestock Breeds for Self-Sufficiency

If you have some land for livestock, then give thought to raising animals that will need as little care as possible, and are survivalists themselves. In a TEOTWAWKI situation, you want animals that will need little if any veterinarian care that you cannot provide, that can live and flourish on almost any kind of vegetable matter for food, and will give you multiple benefits for having them around. Our sheep have cleaned the bark off of Juniper trees as well as ate the berries and leaves. They also like the leaves of yucca and have turned some into very small puffballs.

Two animals that I am familiar with are the Navajo-Churro sheep and the Spanish goat. Both have survived as feral animals and have developed the instincts and genetics needed to get by just about anywhere on anything. Relatively small size in animals can be important too if you are handling them all by yourself.

The Navajo-Churro sheep are a bit smaller than many of the English sheep breeds, and from my experience, smarter. They have sixteen recognized colors or color patterns, a heavier fleece than most breeds and can have multiple horns – or none. Our small flock has eight colors and our rams have no horns (polled), two horns, four horns, and one has five. The wool has been used to make blankets, cloaks, rugs, and wearing apparel. The various colors can be fun for anyone interested in spinning or weaving. Some Navajo rugs and blankets have lasted for centuries. The milk can be used as is or for cheese and yogurt. The meat is winning many of the blind taste-tests where it is presented because it is more succulent and tastier than regular meat breeds of sheep. Keep in mind that good fodder equals good meat and milk in any animal. The hide is useful, especially with some of the wool on it, for covers and clothes. (Yes, this means that you will want to learn how to tan hides under rather primitive condition, nut that is another article.) Probably because of having been a feral animal, they have a natural resistance to worms and other parasites. Veterinarians in the Navajo-Churro Sheep Association have tried a number of times to bring the sheep to a clinical level of worms but were unable to do so because the sheep naturally sloughed off the parasites. They are also smart enough to make a good pet if you are inclined. These sheep used to be the most numerous sheep in the Southwest and feed the miners who made their way to the California gold fields and those seeking a new life in the West. More can be learned about these exceptional animals on the Navajo-Churro Sheep Association web site.

Spanish goats are similar in that they are a common goat in the Southwest part of the United States. You can get meat, milk, hides, and entertainment from them. Goats are picky eaters and seem to try to find the best food – another plus in the simplicity of their management.. More can be found out about them here. I know that there are goats that give more milk or more meat, but these animals are easy to care for in an emergency situation

When you are trying to keep it all together under very primitive conditions, you want animals that can not only survive those conditions, but will thrive while not taking a lot of your time feeding them or giving them vet care.

It will take time and practice learning to milk any animal or learning how to properly butcher one out (anyone who has done a deer can handle a sheep or goat) but it will be worth it.

As a final note, find yourself a community where you fit and will have support spiritually, emotionally, in those areas where you are lacking in skills or preparation.

God’s blessings on you and yours, – Sam S

Economics and Investing:

Michael H. suggested this article: Is Europe heading for a meltdown? Mervyn King, the Bank of England Governor, summed it up best: “Dealing with a banking crisis was difficult enough,” he said the other week, “but at least there were public-sector balance sheets on to which the problems could be moved. Once you move into sovereign debt, there is no answer; there’s no backstop.”

Roubini: World at Risk of Double Dip Recession for Years. (A hat tip to Brett G. for the link). Brett’s comment on article: “Wouldn’t that be called a Depression’?”

Thanks to Brian B. for sending this: Gold Rises to Two-Week High on Demand for Alternative to Euro

I saw this over at Tamara’s View From The Porch: My big fat Pennsylvanian credit rating

Items from The Economatrix:

General Strike Looms as Spain’s Credit Rating Falls

Greece Urged to Give Up Euro

Warning Signs of Full Spectrum Collapse are Everywhere

Most Over-Valued Region in San Francisco Gets Taste of Commercial Real Estate Bust

Down, Not Out (The Mogambo Guru)

Stocks Rebound on Housing News; Oil Shares Jump

Odds ‘n Sods:

As if there wasn’t already enough “real wrath of God stuff” news in the headlines, Jeff B. sent us this: Tropical Storm Agatha blows a hole in Guatemala City.

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Damon S. spotted this: Glitch shows how much US military relies on GPS.

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Our Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson sent a link to a photo compilation of the recent floods in Tennessee.

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I spotted another review of the novel “One Second After”

Notes from JWR:

The special sale on the “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course is now in full swing. The sale runs just three weeks, so don’t delay. Order your copy today!

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Today we present the first entry for Round 29 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will include:

First Prize: A.) 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 between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com. (A $275 value.), and D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Parabellum (Luger ) with 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP projectiles, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo. This is a $249 value, and includes free UPS shipping.

Second Prize: A.) 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 $400, and B.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing, and B.) a Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.)

Round 29 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

How to Get Your Spouse to Become Preparedness Minded, by Keith I.

1

The most difficult situation to encounter when preparing for survival is getting your spouse on board with you. By using some of my techniques hopefully you will get your spouse to understand that you are truly in touch with reality. Until your spouse is 100% percent committed to survival you will always feel an anchor weighing you down psychologically and financially. The psychological toll is simple- Every time you do something out of the norm, that spouse will sometimes question your sanity and if you are not a psychologically stable person, you may begin to question your own sanity. The fact of the matter is most survivalists are people who tend to read more books rather than believe everything the television tells them. We are just normal people who understand preparation is better than cure. As for the financial aspect- If your spouse doesn’t take survival seriously he/she will more likely spend two thousand dollars on a shiny new plasma television rather than buying something to increase your survival odds such as silver, food, medicine, etc.

Here is my step by step method for getting a spouse on board:

1) You first must understand your spouse and utilize the traits of their personality that will eventually get them to take action. For example, if you have a husband that is money hungry, you must start informing them of the possible dollar collapse and him losing all of his hard earned paper money. Give him credible links on the internet for him to look at which explains the difference between paper money and precious metals. Another example is for the religious type of spouse. Show them Bible verses pertaining to the future and the mayhem that will take place on planet earth before Jesus returns. Regardless of those two examples, you must give them something that they can relate to.

2) Once you narrowed in on the personality trait that you will exploit to get their attention then you must use the “drip” method. This simply means you always give them some new information pertaining to the subject(s) that affects them most. Occasionally leave them a CD or DVD pertaining to your survival topic of choice. Email them a link to watch something on YouTube via the personal computer. On birthdays, anniversaries, or any other special occasion, buy them a silver or gold coin depending on your budget. Wait a few weeks later and say “I just made you some money”. When they ask how, kindly explain to them that the price of that precious metal has increased in the stock market. Either way, the idea is to keep dripping information on them and use a subtle approach if you can.

3) Use the kids to get their attention. If you have children, remind them that your job as parents is to protect them no matter what. Ask them how would they feel if their child drowned because mommy/daddy didn’t make them a sailboat? It may sound childish but you can choose your words for the discussion. Eventually, the love they have for those children will make them take action or at the least, shut up and stay out of the way while you make preparations. You can also have a family movie night and watch a movie that will make them think. Rent a movie like 2012 one week and then follow up with a movie like The Book of Eli. The third week, have them watch something like Police State 4: The Rise of FEMA or I Am Legend. While your spouse is in the room, encourage your kids to give their opinions of the movie. Those movies will open doors to those conversations you may not me comfortable bringing up. If your spouse tries to leave the room at the moment you quickly reel he/she back in by saying the old, “Can’t you spend time with your family for a five minute discussion!?!” Its underhanded but when it comes to the survival of your family , the ends justifies the means. Don’t worry your kids will ask plenty of questions and you need to be ready to tell them with authority that Mommy and Daddy will make sure they are safe and they will have plenty of food and water. A theme you should highlight from these movies is the fact that some people were prepared and some people were not.

4) Did I mention manipulation? You will sometimes have to use it. Here is how. Suppose your spouse doesn’t want to visit a mother- in-law. You let them get out of the visit on the grounds they accompany you to the gun show (or any other event).They say in life we have to give in order to get.

5) Pray and read the Bible. This is highly underrated with people in our society in general. Hence the reason our society is on a crash course for disaster. You should ask God help in opening your spouse’s eyes concerning survival preparation. Sometimes a spouse is just plain hardheaded and you will need supernatural help. If they are a Christian who claims to read the Bible, there are numerous verses you can challenge them on concerning survival preparation. We can start with Noah, the original survivalist. He endured all the humiliation and yet he still prepared. He didn’t say the quote that many misguided Christians say concerning disaster, “Well, God is Love, so he will never allow that to happen”, or “We don’t have to worry about that, we’ll be caught in the rapture”. God always gives warning before the storm, its up to you to listen and prepare. In fact, just give them simple logic. In chapter 24 in the book of Matthew, Jesus is asked about the end of the world. He tells his disciples about the mayhem which will take place on planet earth first and then finally in verse 31 he tells of the rapture. If the spouse still doesn’t think that they you interpreted it correctly you can tell them to read the book of Revelation. Christians argue that the rapture occurs at Revelation Chapter 7 or Chapter 11. Regardless of either one, prior to Revelation Chapter 7 utter mayhem has broken out on Earth. So, you can show them again that they need to stop thinking rapture and begin thinking survival preparation. There are good Bible studies online concerning survival preparation, the New World Order, Martial Law, and Earthquakes.

6) Lead by example. If you are serious with your preparations for survival your spouse will eventually know it. If your lackadaisical with your preparations they will treat it accordingly. Don’t talk about it, be about it! Let them see you buying extra food. Let them see you getting solar panels for the house. Let them see you buying gold and silver. Your actions will dictate their long term attitude and behavior. Set your computer browser to a survival type web site whenever the Internet is turned on. I recommend SurvivalBlog or PrisonPlanet for starters. I have numerous friends that can attest to this. If your spouse knows that you are serious they will begin to take your survival preparations seriously. Especially when they continue to turn on the news and see that things are getting a bit unstable here in the U.S. as well as abroad.

7) Use the car stereo as your ally. Whenever informative programs are on such as Coast to Coast A.M. or Alex Jones, try to demand to listen to the program while your spouse is in the car. This way you haven’t brought along a CD to force them to hear but at least they are hearing a radio program that may have some survivalist type thinking. Check your local radio listings for something in that realm of thinking. Make the ride in your car as another way to wake up that spouse of yours from the dream world they are living in.

In Closing: Try to have fun. It took me a year to finally get my spouse on board and committed. It was aggravating at first but now I know how lucky I am. But you know what, she now says the same thing about me. I used all the methods I mentioned with her and eventually she has joined me on the journey of survival. Now we have fun. We go to gun shows together and laugh at some of the weirdoes we meet but we laugh harder when our family members call us weird. We laugh at how blind and misguided the masses have become. We laugh when people believe everything their government tells them. We laugh at the gun range when she always manages to shoot the target underneath the belt buckle (although she was aiming for the head).

Three Letters Re: The Un-Secret Garden–Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Grow my Garden

Mr. Rawles,

Jason’s good ideas the other day with his “five C’s” for garden safety brought to mind the old-timers who grew up during the Depression. By the time I was growing up, life was comfortable for them. But many of them, elderly by now, would grow large gardens as they always had, producing more food than they could possibly use even after they canned and preserved enough for winter, gave quantities to neighbors, friends, and relatives, and fed some of the excess to livestock. A couple of my relatives even had multiple gardens — one close by the house, another back in a secluded corner of their land. “Why?” I asked one of them, back when I was a child. “Just in case,” was all the answer they gave me.

It makes a lot more sense to me nowadays. If that garden is the difference between life and death for your family, you want some margin for when things go wrong. In a good year, you have far too much and the extra work you have put into growing it has been “wasted,” on the face of it. But in a bad year? Who knows? Maybe the deer and ground hogs eat most of it. Or it doesn’t rain enough. Or it rains too much. Or there is an early freeze. Or, as Jason said, maybe a father is stealing from it for his children.

If you can, grow enough to give to that hungry father and others in need, as well as your neighbors. One thinks of the jokes about New Englanders leaving sacks of zucchini on each other’s doorsteps; this is a remnant of old-time virtue. The time may come when a sack of fresh garden vegetables from a neighbor might be like manna from heaven. Regards, – Andrew H.

Dear Mr. Rawles:
We’ve a few comments to add to the excellent posts on veggie growing. Consider Jerusalem Artichokes as a “stealth veggie.” These are sunflowers native to N. America. We plan to use these as a screen for concealment along the only open area to our plot. And the roots are fine raw. These sunflowers are also pretty.

Our plot is on a gentle slope so we have constructed a number of terraces so that each can be flood irrigated with a hose placed at the high point of the terrace. As all farmers know, flood irrigation is far better than sprinkling as it goes deeper into the soil and encourages deep root growth. We will have asparagus planted on the high side of each terrace. Few folks recognize asparagus in the summer. This is also a concealment idea. Our rabbits ignore the asparagus. They also ignore southern field peas.

We arrange our plantings so that early harvested plants (onions, cabbage, broccoli, potatoes) are on a terrace that has on the adjoining terraces vining crops as sweet potatoes, melons, pumpkins. By the time the early veggies are harvested these vines will have reached those terraces and will have plenty of room

One poster mentioned heirloom “Bloody Butcher” corn. We use this partly as a support for pole beans. The local raccoons are not able to reach the ears which grow high up on the 9-10 foot stalks. Excellent cornmeal!

We dehydrate a lot of tomatoes. This reduces the storage space required. The shelf life is much greater and if the jars freeze no damage is done. We remove most of the air with a Pump ‘N Seal device.

Our opinion is that a ~24 horsepower 3 point hitch diesel tractor with a PTO-powered rototiller is the best thing since sliced bread. It allows us to cultivate more area much more easily than with lesser equipment. I note that in our area of East Tennessee there will be many opportunities to earn some cash money by tilling other folk’s gardens. I believe we all know that veggie gardening is about to become hugely popular. Store lots of stabilized diesel.

One final thought: save all the seed you can manage. Your seed may well mean the difference between eating and starvation for your neighbors in the future. We rotate the cultivars and the types of veggies each year so as to build up a huge stock of diverse seeds. – H.D.

 

Sir:
I just want to say about this, there is an answer for everyone. The idea of protecting or concealing your garden is good, but you are never going to stop the zombie hordes. My answer is potting everything, having a garden as a distraction, and moving the pots inside when things go bad. When the weather is bad and going to hurt the plants I can move them inside. I control the soil and the weeds. This is my first year with this system, but I had such a failure with my garden due to weeds and watering last year, I know this will work. I will grow inside all year if I can. Good test of the system. I encourage everyone to test themselves as well. Gardens provide essentials that your body needs, not calories. Unless you have a farms worth, gardens will only help.

One other thing regarding this article. We are preparing for the worst, but the question remains, what worst case will we deal with? When you look at history, Zombie takeovers or Crazy democrats are the extremes in our world. We will most likely never have to deal with either. (Sarcasm there, regarding zombies) The point is you should prepare yourself for everything, but plan for the most likely. We are going to crash like the stock market. Little bits as a time. Not all at once. Prepare for when things get “hinky”.

People accuse me of caring about mankind, wanting a better world for all, and saying I am good for the environment. Let me be selfish and blunt. I want you to grow your own food so you don’t eat mine. I want us all to live together in harmony, but if the circumstances present themselves, and you are stealing my tomatoes, I will kill you, any age. It is not my fault you don’t know or didn’t prepare. I will save water from my downspouts. Not because I am concerned about water but about energy. The government is going to raise our taxes on energy one way or another. Until our Rome is finished, take advantage. The scraps of yesterday are a meal today.- Matt B.

Economics and Investing:

Reader H.H. recommended a speech by economist Marc Faber, titled Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall, where he talks about what will be the next entity like AIG to fall. At minute 54, he says to buy a house in the middle of nowhere” to avoid the various forms of social unrest he believes is coming. He also recommends, of course, that you buy physical gold as a hedge against inflation. It sounds like he’s now in accord with economist and investing guru Barton Biggs, who has also recommended buying retreat property: “Your safe haven must be self-sufficient and capable of growing some kind of food,” Mr. Biggs writes. “It should be well-stocked with seed, fertilizer, canned food, wine, medicine, clothes, etc. Think Swiss Family Robinson. Even in America and Europe there could be moments of riot and rebellion when law and order temporarily completely breaks down.”

Robin C. sent this: Paying a price for risky schemes; Derivatives meltdown costs metro Atlanta entities $394 million

Soaring costs force Canada to reassess health model. (Thanks to Brian B. for the link.)

Items from The Economatrix:

BP Shares Plunge as Company Struggles to Plug Leak

Euro Hits New 4-Year Low Against Dollar [JWR Adds: Meanwhile, gold is approaching “I told you so” price levels. It is not to late to buy on the dips. And FWIW, I think that silver is the better investment, at present.]

Canada Raises Interest Rates

Hewlett-Package to Cut 9,000 Jobs; Restructure 6,000 of Them

Construction Spending Jumps 2.7% in April [JWR Adds:Of course a lot of that was “stimulus” driven, using nonexistent dollars.]

The US Economic Collapse Top 20 Countdown

The Looming Financial Holocaust is Closer than We Thought

Spain Races to Halt Bank Crisis as Euro Slides

401(k) as Dangerous as the Dollar