Two Letters Re: Basic Climbing Gear for Preppers

James:
After reading the article about climbing gear I thought I would add in a few notes.  Being a member of a technical rope team for Search and Rescue in an area of southwestern Colorado, I have all the gear mentioned by T.F. This type of gear has so many uses other than just climbing and rappelling.  I take basic gear (harness, rope, carabiners, webbing, prusiks, and pulleys) on every hunting trip.  It has so many uses from hauling game out of hard to get areas, river crossings, making a rope bridge, amongst other things.  I also use it every time I go onto my roof to shovel snow.

Metal roofs are not always easy to shovel or repair, especially when wet.  The house I once owned had a very poor design in that it had two valleys that always trapped snow.  Using a tie off with a tree and going up onto the roof allowed me to shovel without worrying about the 30 foot fall off the front of the house.  My neighbors use to give me grief for using it but I didn’t want to be the guy in the paper who died with a few grand worth of safety equipment in the garage.  When in doubt, rope up.

The gear list T.F. mentions is great but expensive.  However, a good harness is not a necessity, some 1 inch tubular webbing could be used to make waist and chess harness and not cost you between $50 and $100.  Also, sewn runners are also more expensive that 1 inch webbing.  A water knot can be used and you can adjust the length of the runner and use the webbing for other uses.  For any rock climbing where I am wearing a harness for more than 15 minutes I would want a padded harness.  

I can’t stress how strong they make climbing ropes these days.  A friend of mine and I tested one of our older climbing ropes at his fathers mechanic shop.  We raised and dropped a V8 engine 12 times before it broke at a height of 20 feet.  We were shocked.  

Other gear that I would add for basic home use that is not needed for climbing are pulleys and prusiks.  With a few pulleys you can create so much mechanical advantage to raise a wood stove into place, move an engine, or move game all with one person.  Prusiks are a length of 6mm or 8mm cord with a double fisherman attaching the ends.  By wrapping around the rope (search Internet for pictures) you can create ascenders, and hold rope in place and create safety lines.  The prusik is in my top 3 pieces of gear I do not leave home without.  

Check REI outlet and sierra trading post for good deals on climbing equipment.  I do see some for sale in the paper every now and again and would not advise buying it that way.  A dropped carabiner on a rock could create a stress fracture and deem it unsafe.  Also, you don’t know how someone treated their rope or other equipment.  

Great blog and keep up the good work.  I appreciate every article I read on here. – D.M.

JWR,
I agree wholeheartedly with the idea of basic climbing gear and knowledge being an incredibly handy item to prep and ad into the stockpile.  One resource I would recommend is looking in your area for arborist supply stores or of course online.  The gear arborist’s use is rated for commercial daily use and is also more abrasion resistant as it is intended to rub against the ark of the tree while climbing.  The downside will be in pounds as the gear will be more heavy however when trusting my life and the lives of those most important to me I could handle the extra weight.  Again the same warning without proper training and technique this could prove deadly, get educated. – Michael M.

Letter Re: Advice on Classic Books for Homeschooling

Dear James,    
Could you post a list of Books and Educational Material we should own or obtain to teach ourselves and our children and grandchildren on our real American History and real World History. I’d like to have and educational series from Kindergarten on up, to have on hand to give our next generation, for a well-rounded education.  Thank you, Paula S.

JWR Replies: The folks that produce The Robinson Curriculum recommend a long list of “classic” books.  Many of these are available free online (in PDF or Kindle reader format). There are many novels as well as nonfiction books including biographies and histories.

Start prowling used book stores and thrift stores. Also faithfully attend your library’s annual book sale, to pick up inexpensive hard copies of history books, civics books, and classic literature. To avoid exposure to leftist bias, try to find an Encyclopedia Britannica set that was published before 1965.

I don’t own a Kindle reader, but I did install the free “Kindle for Mac” reader software on my laptop, initially just to test our new SurvivalBlog.com Archives 2005-2010. (My #2 Son produced it in Kindle format, in advance of the CD-ROM version that is now in beta test.)

Parenthetically, I must mention that I am now hooked on Kindle e-books. I’ve downloaded more than 120 free e-books so far, by authors like Frederick Bastiat, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Lewis Carroll, Buffalo Bill Cody, Joseph Conrad, James Fennimore Cooper, Daniel Defoe, John Foxe, Edward Gibbon, H. Rider Haggard, O. Henry, Rudyard Kipling, John Marshall, Herman Melville, Edgar Allan Poe, Theodore Roosevelt, Robert Louis Stevenson, Jonathan Swift, Zachary Taylor, Mark Twain, Jules Verne, General Ben Viljoen, H.G. Wells, and others. There are hundreds of classics available in Kindle format free of charge at the Amazon web site. And Project Gutenberg had thousands more. Take advantage of these free resources. OBTW, I am making backup copies of all of these e-books onto our Faraday-boxed backup laptop. (Our “laptop in a can.”) But nothing is more reliable than an “EMP-proof” hard copy book.

Letter Re: Some Woodstove Experience

Sir:
For the true self-sufficient survivalist the Tulikivi soapstone heater (with bake oven) [from Finland] is the supreme method of heating and cooking in a home.   We replaced a dangerous old fireplace with a Tulikivi four years ago and admit they are very expensive, but worth every dollar.  A two hour fire heats our wel- insulated 1,200 square foot home via one two hour fire per day. On very cold days…15F and below. We burn two shorter fires in the morning and evening of one and a half hours each. The wood savings over a conventional wood stove is approximately 50% and the even radiant heat is absorbed in the far corners of our home. The big bonus is that a we enjoy a fire from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m .in the evening and when we arise in the morning the house is usually a consistent 70F, even with at any outside temperature.   

Our Tulikivi consists of 7,000 pounds of soapstone and is very fire manageable….you can adjust the warmth of your home in infinite values by controlling the burn times and quantities of wood. And the radiant heat eliminates the stuffy “hot air” of a conventional wood stove and the overheating of a dwelling. Some claim radiant heat provides a healthier climate. I don’t know about that but we haven’t had a cold or other illness in four years.  

The bake oven is a joy to use. It works like a convection oven and bakes bread and roasts to perfection. We have baked pot roast, chicken, beans, etc… and the result is always better than a conventional oven. And cooking time is much shorter.   The expense of $10,000 to $20,000 was daunting but we decided not to buy a new car and invest in the Tulikivi. It is estimated that they pay for themselves in ten years and then you have a working heirloom for life. What would a car be worth after ten years?   This is not a sales pitch. We do not sell these units. But for someone who likes to cut wood and cook it is the cat’s meow.   – Tom in Juneau, Alaska  

Economics and Investing:

21 Signs Of Impending Doom For The 2011 Economy

Roy M. sent this: Hoarding Nickels, Collecting stamps? Is this the best investment for America’s working poor?

Economist warns of double dip recession if oil hits $140 (Thansk to C.D.V. for the link.)

Gasoline cost to jump $700 for average household.

January trade deficit jumps to $46.3 billion

Items from The Economatrix:

People Aren’t Buying Economic Lies Told By The Government  

Is Buffett Ignorant?  Gold on its Way to $6,000?  

Spiking Oil, Plunging Economy

Spiking Oil, Plunging Economy  

Underwater Mortgages Rise As Home Prices Fall  

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Tom M. suggested a great two-hour educational video produced by UCSF: Injuries in the Wilderness.

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Kevin R. sent us this: The secret world of doomsday shelters Blast from the past: Underground home bunkers once again have a small but growing following as a refuge from a host of perceived threats. And most people who have them would prefer that you didn’t know. Kevin notes: “Notice the demographics mentioned on page two, describing who is building these and that most are in the Washington, D.C. area?.  Do our bureaucrats know and anticipate something they aren’t sharing with the rest of us?” 

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F.G. recommended a book excerpt that describes a Christian family’s struggle to eat enough to live, under Stalin’s reign. God provides!

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I’m pleased to see that ArmsList.com has really taken off in recent months. It is a great alternative for folks to find private party gun sellers in their own states.

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For anyone who has lost track, or lost interest: our troops deployed overseas are still dodging bullets. They still need our tangible support and you card and letters with words of encouragement. Please mark you calendar as a reminder to mail a Priority Mail box or two, regularly. Thanks!

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The US is the world’s most indebted nation and is trying to bail itself out by printing money, thus monetizing the debt. The world knows it and many are concerned because of their large holdings of US securities. The printing of money would force up interest rates (long bond rates are already rising), thus putting more strain on the US and global economies. A debt downgrade of US debt could follow, and the looming debt battle in Congress could see a US debt default in the worst case. Any or all of these events could lead to chaotic conditions in the US and a break down in the social, political and economic order.” – David Chapman

Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 33 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round 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 $795, and B.) Two cases of Alpine Aire freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $400 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 250 round case of 12 Gauge Hornady TAP FPD 2-3/4″ OO buckshot ammo, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $240 value), and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) 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, C.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and D.) 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.) , and B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value.

Round 33 ends on March 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.

Basic Climbing Gear for Preppers, by T.F.

As preppers I think we all have the same mindset. If we did not, we would not be returning to SurvivalBlog on a daily basis, or stockpiling all the things we do. I am four months new to the blog and have always been a prepper at heart. With the blog, several things have been brought to my attention that I was lacking in my prepping. As these issues surface, I take immediate action either to correct them right away, or they make my very short “To Do” list.

With that, I bring to your attention the need of some basic climbing equipment and the possibility of a new book to your book shelf, but you will have to read on. I know what you are thinking, “If I’m bugging in. Why would I need any climbing gear?” Whether you are at your retreat or have to G.O.O.D. you need some basic climbing gear. I too plan on bugging in, but I always prep for the inevitable need of having to abandon my retreat. Basic climbing gear can be used to fabricate a comfortable stretcher, make river crossings easier (and more dry), vertical haul lines, a suspension traverse, a Z-pulley, fixed ropes, aid in climbing, rappelling (everyone’s favorite), among others. For this article I will cover just the very basics of climbing gear (ropes, carabiners, runners, protection, and harnesses) and cover the above mentioned benefits in later articles. I recommend and would push attending a basic climbing course. There are hands-on things that can be taught far better in a class rather than reading them in a book.

SAFETY

First things first, safety is always a must! Safety is everyone’s responsibility, so always observe the few following safety points with basic climbing gear:
1. Inspect all equipment prior, during, and after use. If any flaws are detected, mark and discard immediately from your climbing gear.
2. Make sure all locking carabiners are locked. If using non-locking carabiners in their stay, make sure their gates are opposite and opposed.
3. Properly wear your climbing harness-double check buckles.
4. Climb within your ability.
5. Before you start any climb, use your best judgment, and do not take any unnecessary risks.
6. Use the buddy system always!
7. Climbing difficulty ratings are subjective.
8. Gravity is a constant!

[JWR Adds: If you fall, kick loose a rock, or drop something, be advised that the acceleration will be 32 feet per second, per second! That means a drop of 16 feet the 1st second, and 64 feet the 2nd second… until terminal velocity is reached!]

These are just a few safety points for the basics as more will follow in additional articles as needed. When obtaining climbing gear, make sure you know its history. If you do not, it’s not worth your life!

ROPE

There are two types of rope, dynamic and static. Dynamic ropes are designed for climbing by stretching when needed, i.e. falling. The low impact force is one of the factors we are looking for when considering a dynamic rope, lower is better generally speaking. Ropes with low impact force means the climber falls, the rope stretches, and that stop is less abrupt at the end of the fall. Not only is there less stress on the climber during the fall, but less on the belayer, the anchor system, and all the hardware being used. Diameter and length are two additional factors in deciding on which rope to purchase. With these two factors come common uses and yes ounces. Ounces equal pounds, and pounds equal pain. The military typically sticks to 11 millimeter diameter ropes. Obviously they will hold up better while lasting longer, but weigh more. Dynamic ropes drop in diameter to 8 millimeter, but at this diameter they are used in pairs, or twin rope systems! Lengths are typically 50 meters (165 ft), 60m (200 ft) or 70m (230 ft). I have an 11mm and a 9.7mm diameter dynamic rope, both 60m. If I am packing it for a few days I use my 9.7; if I am walking directly to my climb and back, it’s the 11. As always, not only does your life depend on your equipment, but that of your climbing buddy does as well!

Static ropes are just that, static. Static ropes can be used for several things ranging from fixed ropes, haul lines, to rappelling. Static lines should never be used in lead climbing. There is no stretch in a static rope and even the smallest of any fall could cause a severe failure in any of the components of the climbing system. Whether that failure is in the rope or right on through to the anchor system, you or your climbing buddy pays the full price! Static ropes come in the same diameters, lengths, and characteristics as dynamic ropes (minus the stretch).

If I was forced to choose between static or dynamic, I would chose dynamic. Dynamic can do everything a static rope can do, though you may have to work with the stretch. Static cannot do all that of dynamic. Certain manufactures color code their ropes in the middle and the end to inform the climber of just that. Others have wide stripes in these areas. Each rope has a fall rating as well. Though no one wants to fall, it happens and the higher the rating the better the rope. Kernmantle ropes are now the only climbing rope approved by the Union Internationale des Associations d’Alpinisme (UIAA). With the Comitee Europeen de Normalisation (CEN), you want to make sure your rope, as with all your equipment, has met their standards of approval.

CARABINERS

Not to be confused with the one on your key chain, carabiners are a tool used in every aspect of climbing. There are numerous styles and shapes. As I stated earlier, I am trying to stick to the very basics. With that, there are just a few I will discuss. I prefer the basic D-shaped non-locking carabiner over the oval shape for a good general purpose carabiner. The D-shape keeps the stress away from the gate (opening) of the carabiner. The gate is where most failures occur. D biners are generally stronger than oval as well. Gates can be wired gates to help reduce the weight. Locking carabiners provide extra security and safety. As long as the gate is locked closed is that safety there. You must always check to make sure the gate is locked. Most locking carabiners now have a visual check, red shows when the gate is unlocked. Locking carabiners are used for rappelling, anchors, and belaying to just name a few. Pear-shaped carabiners are larger at the gate opening to help aid in belaying and rappelling. If you do not have a locking carabiner, you can use two non-locking carabiners in opposite and opposed configuration. You would work the rope through the carabiners and the opened gates should form an X when opened. This prevents the rope or runner from coming out. You can never have too many carabiners. Again, I have to throw safety in here: Make sure the carabiners are climbing rated and not the ones off your key chain.

RUNNERS

Runners are loops of tubular webbing or cord that are either sewn or tied together at the ends. Runners come in three basic lengths, single (1.7m), double (2.9m), and triple (4.6m). A good rule of thumb is to have at least six single, three double, and one triple. That is not to say you cannot obtain them in various lengths, you can. Sewn runners can be purchased from two inches to as long as a triple, each size has its place. Additionally you can have varying widths. Sewn are generally stronger than tied. Tied runners can vary in a length to your choosing. Most tied runners are one inch tubular webbing tied with a water knot. As with all knots, a minimum four inch pig tail is a must. Runners are a very useable piece of climbing gear.

PROTECTION

I am not going to go in much detail at all here for safety. Protection and anchors should be discussed in a class where you can practice and test your placements. Protections come both natural and removable. Natural protection that you tie into can be that large tree, rock cropping, or multiple shrubs used together. Your imagination is the limit. Only make sure it will hold the stress. Removable protections are stoppers, hexes, tri-cams, and spring loaded cams just to name a few. Pitons are no longer used [by civilian climbers] due to the damage they cause to the rock. But post-TEOTWAWKI, pitons can be hammered into cracks and crevasses to make an anchor point.

HARNESSES

Harnesses are no exception to the number of varieties. You have the traditional seat harness that most know about, chest harnesses, and body harnesses. For what we are dealing with, the traditional seat harness will be more than sufficient. Characteristics that you want to look for in a harness are adjustable and padded leg loops. Leg loops that can be unbuckled are nice in getting situated, using the bathroom, and so on. A padded waist belt, along with the leg loops are just added comfort. But if you can be comfortable, why wouldn’t you, you might be there for a while. An off center waist buckle can be nice when you are tying into your harness. Gear loops are a must. All your climbing gear will be either attached to you through your gear loops or on a rack system across your body or usually both. Try a harness on before buying it, if you can.

As I stated before, safety is paramount! My intent was only to touch on the basics with more to follow in additional articles. I highly recommend attending a climbing course. That said, a book you might want to add to your library is, “Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills”. It is a very informative book encompassing everything from clothing to climbing gear to glacier traversing. You will find many of the illustrations from it in the Military Mountaineering Handbook and FM 3-97.61 Military Mountaineering. As always, remember: gravity is a constant!

Why Living Prepared Pays Off, by Brad in California

We live on the western slope of the Sierras about half way between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe. We recently experienced the worst snow storm in the last thirty years, with snow depths in excess of 36″, massive, wide spread power outages, and closed roads. We had virtually no inconvenience because we have literally have lived being prepared for decades.

Our home is small, about 1,000+ square feet and we have an adjoining cabin of 525 sq/ft., which serves as my office. A few years ago I added an additional 12″ of insulation in the ceilings of both units, double glazed windows, and availed ourselves of the PG&E [California power utility company] energy saving policy which allowed us to seal and repair every air leak in both residences and receive a rebate from PG&E for being good, green citizens. In other words, PG&E paid us for doing some common sense thing we were already planning to do, even without the enticement of the rebate. (You gotta love this country!)

My wife is, after 31 years, used to my peculiarities. For example, I have been what is euphemistically called a “survivalist” since the age of 11. We never buy a home on a flood plain. We always check out the USGS maps located in the county planning offices to avoid buying on a known geologic fault line. I consider these things as basic as breathing, and wonder why everyone doesn’t take these simple trouble avoidance steps. Being a survivalist should be, literally, a part of your psychic makeup. It should be part of your very existence.

When we first moved up to the mountains to this property in 2000, we had two separate propane tanks, the larger one (170 gals) for the home, and the smaller one (90 gals) for the cabin. Both were located right next to the wall of the cabin in plain view, and were an eyesore.

The first thing I did was replace the two smaller tanks with one 500 gallon tank and relocate the tank closer to the road, and out of sight behind some trees inside our gate. This relocation not only concealed the tank from view, thus greatly improving the “curb appeal” of the home and cabin, but made it more accessible for propane deliveries. I make it a practice to never let this tank drop below 50% full, as even 250 gallons of propane will last us a few months in the winter.

Both the main house and the cabin have full kitchens and full baths. Both water heaters are propane, as are the stoves, the heaters, and even the dryer. Next I added a propane generator large enough to power the well, the fridges, some lights, the television and the Internet.

When this last storm shut down the entire area for days, literally nothing changed for us except we could not go anywhere until they finally managed to get the roads plowed. We have one four wheel drive vehicle with studded tires and chains for back up if needed, and when snow is in the forecast, we always park it facing out at the end of the driveway and near the road. I hate shoveling snow, and this keeps it to a minimum.

We have two dogs, and in our planning, we extended the decks so that there is ample covered dirt areas for them to do their business when they cannot get into the yard due to the snow depth. These areas are easily accessible from the main house without having to traverse snow of any depth. Because our dogs have short legs (Corgis) this allows them to live comfortably when many other pups are confined to the house. When you plan for emergencies, you have to plan for all your family members, two and four legged.

Of course we had ample food on hand for several months and when the crunch came, I got to enjoy some work free days because while I still had phones and internet, most of my clients did not.

The point is, by advance planning and living our normal lives from a survivalist viewpoint, we have the luxury of maintaining our normal lives even in the extreme situations such as we recently faced.

While I absolutely believe TEOTWAWKI is rapidly approaching, many crises we face between then and now will be somewhat less that TEOTWAWKI, but serious enough in their own right. Growing up on a ranch, my father taught all of us that almost any fool can survive in discomfort. It takes planning and skill to survive in comfort. Now in my sixties, my father’s advice still rules my life, and for this I am eternally grateful.

Letter Re: Bathing in a World Without Electricity

Good Morning;
My wife and I were once again looking at our list of to-do’s in our quest to prepare. I was looking at the list and noticed she wanted to find a wash tub that we could bathe in. Fortunately we live about one hundred feet from a year round creek and water will not be a issue. I started looking around  the house and my eyes fell on the woodstove and the 2.5 gallon water tank on the side. Now that water gets very warm obviously and I thought ok well that solves the hot water problem. Well, wait a minute. That is only 2.5 gallons out of about 10. Dang! I asked her why we couldn’t use the regular bathtub and she said “What if there is no water and it would be a lot of work to haul water back and forth”. Well that’s reasonable. So as I was taking a shower the next day I looked up and I got my one idea a year. I went out to the trailer that holds all my camping equipment. I grabbed our Solar Shower and filled it up and then placed it by the woodstove. It heated up within an hour to a temperature that was good for showers. I thought to myself that worked well. I then went into the attic space and reinforced the ceiling above the bathtub. I mounted a 4×4 post to the rafters and then placed a large eyehook into the 4×4. The eyehook extends down about 5 inches from the ceiling.  I placed the bag on the hook and it worked great. I bought three 2.5 gallon bag showers and then three 5 gallon bag showers. With those on hand, we will have no problem with bathing now.     Thanks, – David W.

JWR Replies: Solar shower bags are a very good suggestion. FWIW, when I spent some time in a small back-country hunting cabin that had spring-fed running water but that didn’t have hot water coils in the stove, I simply put every large pot and kettle on the stove and heated them to near a boil. Then I positioned a large wash bucket (aka “gut bucket”) next to the stove. I decided to use it right there rather than back in the bathroom, to minimize the distance that I would be carrying containers of scalding hot water. The air temperature was also more comfortable, close to the stove! By starting with a couple of gallons of cold water in the gut bucket and adding the hot water, I was able to achieve perfect bathtub temperature. A crouching position seemed to work best. (A 60 gallon galvanized stock tank would have been more comfortable, but I was “making do.”) After each bath, I used a 25-foot garden hose the siphon the water out the front door, and down hill a short distance. That way I didn’t have to bail out the tub and carry any buckets or pans.

Two Letters Re: Pomona Universal Pectin

Sir:
I asked my cousin to respond to the Pomona Universal Pectin article. She is the  production manager and head nutritionist at a commercial jam manufacture. Here is what she had to say: “Pomona Universal Pectin is a low methoxyl pectin.  This means that it will gel without the presence of sugar if a salt (monocalcium phosphate) is added at the critical time.  If the salt is added at the wrong time, the resulting products have an “applesauce” type consistency.  The biggest problem with this type of pectin is that it is inconsistent across different fruit and different degrees of ripeness of the fruit.  Since all fruit has natural pectins, those that have more natural pectins will set more firmly and be rubbery, while those with less pectin will be runny.  We use some low methoxyl pectin in our products, but we also add xanthan gum, locust bean gum (all natural, 100% fiber products) to our jam to alleviate these problems.”  Regards, – Robert E.

Jim:
First, I’ve used Pomona Universal Pectin for years. Great product. And it’s cheaper to buy in quantity, by mail.  It the last couple years the price went up  25+%.   Coming from Europe, I believe, it’s sometimes on backorder for weeks at the local coop, right when you need it, in the summer. To make sure it keeps indefinitely I put both parts [pectin and activator powder] in plastic bags, then in mason jars, and then removed the air [and more moisture] with my Vacu-saver. However, do plan on using much more fruit. Regular pectin jam with 7 cups of sugar to 4 cups berries is about 64% sugar. Pomona made jam with it’s maximum of 2 cups sugar to 4 cups berries, is 33% sugar.  Much better for you, but you’ll get about 1/2 the yield of regular jam. My experience is that jam consumed in about five months is fine with 1.5 cups of sugar; but if you plan on keeping some jars for 6 months or more, then 2 cups sugar keeps the flavor better.  Also the jam, with it’s lower sugar content, only keeps for about 3 weeks, once it’s opened;  Not months, like the store bought high sugar jams.  So if you live alone, or like to keep several kinds of jam opened all at the same time in the fridge, the pint jars may be too much. Have fun jamming. 

Don’t forget long sleeves and pants for protection with the boiling water, despite the heat. Make plenty.   It’s the perfect Christmas present for relatives and neighbors “who have everything”. – T.H.R.

Letter Re: Some Woodstove Experience

Mr. Rawles:
I would recommend that your readers get a copy of the book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois.  Many of the breads in the book use a high-quality, half-inch thick baking stone, much like the types used for pizza.  Also shown is a pizza peel. The book has many recipes using many types of grains to make  peasant loaves, rolls, baguettes, flatbreads and pizzas.   

Another suggestion from an outdoor cookbook is to use a large Dutch oven and put small stones or nails in the bottom, then set your baking pan on the stones, and then cover.  This way you create a more controlled heat for your baking pan.   

As for the pot holder issue, many online kitchen supply stores sell high heat gloves and mitts.  I believe Chef Depot has some mitts that will withstand 700 degrees.  Also at this time of year it is easy to find high heat gloves in the Barbeque section of most stores.    Hope this helps. – Yvonne

Economics and Investing:

Reader Scott M. sent us this: “No Way Out” of Debt Trap, Gross Says: U.S. Living Standards Doomed to Fall

Welfare State: Handouts Make Up One-Third of U.S. Wages. (Thanks to Pierre M. for the link.)

Will China’s ‘Have-Nots’ Be Next to Rebel?

Items from The Economatrix:

US Wants To Take Your Dollars And Replace With Coins

Financial Dismantling Of The American Middle Class  

Physical Silver is Really $50 Per Ounce  

People Of Earth:  Prepare For Economic Disaster  

Bank Stocks Push Indexes Higher; Oil Prices Dip  

Beyond Libya, Oil Market Warily Eyes Saudi Arabia

Odds ‘n Sods:

Another Self Reliance Expo is planned for April 8-9, 2011 National Western Events Complex, in Denver, Colorado. There will be a number of panel discussions and many exhibitors putting on product demonstrations. Topics will include aquaponics,canning and food dehydrating, ham radio, solar ovens, and much more. Admission is $9 at the door or you can get a 20% discount on tickets by registering online (click on the “Admission” tab.) Another Expo will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, October 7-8.

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Paul Farrell: The 2008 crash isn’t over, only covered up

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File under Z Division: ABC News reports: North Korea Nears Completion of Electromagnetic Pulse Bomb. (Thanks to Larry M. for the link.)

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After some temporary production problems, the WaterBob is again available! These make a great short term water supply for homeowners whenever there are power failures or other potential water supply disruptions expected.

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Jim B. sent this from New Scientist: The Internet is a Tyrant’s Friend. Jim B. notes: “I look at the Internet as neutral. We need to be aware that while the Internet can be a Freedom Fighter’s best friend, it can also be the Tyrant’s best friend as well.”