Frequent content contributor F.G. sent us a priceless OK Go music video clip demonstrating effective camouflage. The Ghillie suit band members start to join in at 51 seconds into the video.
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Yorie sent this: Meet the Israeli Unmanned Ground Combat Vehicle – AvantGuard
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Alan sent me a link to a Dmitry Orlov lecture at UC Berkeley.
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Steve K. liked this video: Why Can’t Chuck Get His Business Off the Ground?
“The Great Depression was caused by Federal Reserve expansion of the money supply in the 1920s that led to an unsustainable credit-driven boom. When the Federal Reserve belatedly tightened in 1928, it was too late to avoid financial collapse. According to Murray Rothbard, in his book America’s Great Depression, the artificial interference in the economy was a disaster prior to the depression, and government efforts to prop up the economy after the crash of 1929 only made things worse. Government intervention delayed the market’s adjustment and made the road to complete recovery more difficult. The parallels with today are uncanny.” – James Quinn
Today we present another two entries for Round 31 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 $795, 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, B.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and C.) 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 31 ends on November 30th, 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.
I have watched with some concern as the survival seed business has exploded these past few years. Advertisements abound for survival garden seed buckets that cost upwards of $100 and promise a years supply of food for a family. Since most Americans have never grown more than a few tomato plants they are unaware that many of these claims are overblown. Anyone who has tried to produce most of their own food will tell you that things never go perfectly. There is always some blight, freak weather, or insect invasion that knocks out at least one of your main crops. And in a survival situation that could be deadly.
Choosing your survival seeds is just as important as researching what guns to buy or stocking your year’s supply of food. It requires even more thought because there are so many variables that effect your choices. That’s why I caution people to really take some time and consider what they need before buying a survival seed package. This could be the difference between survival and starvation for your family so don’t just go out and buy the easy thing. I have been doing large-scale gardening and food preservation for over 13 years now so I have had lots of experience with different mail order catalogs as well as store bought seeds. I have tried both hybrid and heirlooms and now own a small business selling heirloom and standard seeds.
First lets look at some of the problems with survival seed setups:
Not designed for your particular climate: While studying various survival seed packages I noticed that at least 25% of all the seed were not varieties that would do well in our area. So that means 25% less food than advertised. This is not inherently the companies’ fault. America is a big place so designing a package that would cater to everyone’s needs is impossible. Still that will be cold comfort if you are living off what you can produce on your land.
Not designed for personal tastes: Many of the vegetables were not things my family will eat, although when starving who knows. And some I have never tried to grow. Experimentation is not good in a life or death situation so I am wary of trying something new when my life depends on it.
Not designed for crops that store well: Remember that if you are actually using these seeds you are probably living in a very different world. The main seeds that will be useful are seeds producing foods for long winter storage such as beans, corn, root vegetables, and winter squash. These are easy to plant, grow, harvest, and preserve for future use. All of which are very important considerations. You do not want seeds that require specialized tools to plant or harvest and that take lots of equipment to preserve for eating later.
So yes, you may be getting lots of seeds in your survival seed bucket but will it really be enough to feed your family? Wouldn’t it be better (and probably cheaper) to choose seeds you know you will use and also will provide large harvests of long storable food? Here are considerations to ponder when choosing seeds for survival.
What you should look for
The number one consideration in choosing seeds is this. You must realize that the world will be a very different place if you have to use your seeds. You will be facing hunger and perhaps starvation for the first time. You will be doing most of the work by hand and may have to cut up and remove the sod from your yard. This is all very hard work and takes weeks to do. Every square inch of your property should be turned to some kind of food production. The more you tailor your seeds to ease of planting, care, and harvest the better off your will be. Remember that your goal is surviving, not producing the biggest tomato. The magic words to look for on any variety are- Drought resistant, prolific harvests, heavy bearer, disease resistant, early maturity, excellent winter storage, good keeper.
Quality of the seeds: Absolutely essential! If your seeds come from a shoddy operation they will have a poor germination rate and that will translate into less food. I have bought seeds from Gurneys that germinated after 7 years and produced strong plants and abundant food. While a notable heirloom Seed Company shipped me seeds in clear plastic packages (major no!) and I had very poor germination rates. Try to avoid seeds from stores as these have been sitting in the bright lights and fluctuating temperatures that cut down on germinations rates.
Ease of planting, harvest, and processing: If you have no experience gardening you want plants that require little effort to thrive. You also want something that is easy to harvest and process for storing and also something that produces a large harvest and tons of calories.
The Five Main Crops to Stock Up On
Beans and Peas: Both string and shelling kind are easy to plant, grow like the dickens, produce a lot of food and can be left on the plant to dry for shelling. They produce high protein, high calorie food. Baked beans anyone?
Corn: Easy to plant, harvest, and process for cornmeal which will be your main grain. You can dry the cobs on the plant or hang them in the house and even a child of five can help with planting and harvest. It is a high quality food staple that has a multitude of uses. Look for varieties used for cornmeal. Another bonus is the fact that every part of the plant is edible to cows, horses, pigs, and goats. Research the safe way to feed this crop to your animals.
Root Vegetables: Potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, turnips, beets, etc. These are all high quality foods that are easy to plant care for and store over winter. You can keep them in a basement or even a garbage can for most of the winter. Look for varieties known for long storage.
Winter Squash: Excellent for long storage, high in nutrition and vitamins and a very easy care plant. There are literally hundreds of varieties out there so look for those renowned for storage and taste. Always check to see if they will do well in your area, especially in the north.
Tomatoes: Produces tons of fruits and is easy to grow. There are hundreds of varieties so check for those that are noted producers of large harvests and are drought tolerant and that will do well in your area. If you have not stockpiled jars and lids you can still dry them for winter use.
Note that the beans, corn, and squash form the “Three Sisters” of the Native American food crops. They create an almost perfect food when combined. All of the above plants produce high yields of food that is very easy to store and harvest. Remember that you will be relying on the food you grown from fall until spring so the longer it will store the better. Lettuce is great and has its place but it stores for about 3 days un-refrigerated and won’t grow in freezing winter conditions. What are you going to do for food when the garden freezes?
Heirloom vs. Hybrid
I am about to make some peoples’ heads explode but I have to say that heirlooms are not all they are cracked up to be. Yes they are open pollinated, yes in some cases they produce better tasting food, but does that mean they are a better choice in a survival situation? I hear advertisement after advertisement crowing about open pollinated seeds like they are some kind of super seed. Most people who know anything about seed propagation can tell you this is way overblown. Here’s the truth about heirloom seeds vs. hybrid.
1. Almost all heirlooms are actually “hybrids”: Ahhrrggghhh! Someone’s head just exploded! Okay take a deep breath and read on. Crossing two varieties of a plant to get a certain type of fruit or veggie created almost all of our “heirlooms”. This is done all the time in nature by cross pollination or intentionally by farmers. Lets look at how most fruit or vegetables are created. First the plant puts out a flower with it genetic material in the pollen. Mr. Bee comes along and sips some nectar from your slicing cucumber and gets the pollen on his legs. Then he goes to the next cucumber plant, which is a pickling variety and sips some nectar there. When he does that he fertilized that flower with the genetic material from the slicing cucumber plant. A cucumber is formed from that union and if you let it go past ripeness and harvest the seeds from that cucumber what will you get? A “hybrid” between the two varieties! The seeds formed in that cucumber has both the genetic material from a slicing and the pickling varieties.
That’s right a “hybrid” is just a cross between two different varieties. This happens naturally in the wild all the time. Farmers have been doing this for thousands of years to increase yields, produce a certain trait in a fruit, or promote resistance to disease. Lets say a farmer loves the flavor from one tomato but wants it to be bigger. So the farmer cross pollinates it from a large tomato variety and then harvests the resulting seeds. Next year he plants those seeds and chooses the plants that produce both larger fruit and fruit that tastes better for future seed saving. To get a pure seed that will grow true to the parent plant you would have to put little bags over the flowers to prevent fertilization from outside sources and then hand fertilize the flower with a paint brush. Or only grow one variety of that plant on your land and hope that Mr. Bee has not been visiting any other gardens.
Many seeds you see in the store or in the non-heirloom catalogs are actually heirlooms: That’s right you will find some of the same varieties in the heirloom catalogs. Varieties like Connecticut field pumpkins, Little Marvel sweet peas, Black Beauty eggplant. The list is quite long. Why are these heirlooms in standard seed catalogs? Well they are just varieties that have proven over the test of time to be excellent and so it are still popular.
3. Hybrids require more water and fertilizer: When you selectively breed for higher yields and bigger or sweeter fruit it naturally causes the plant to use more nutrients and water. After all the more fruit a plant produces increases its need for water and nutrients. This is true in any plant, hybrid or heirloom. An heirloom that is a known producer for high yields will need more nutrients than one that does not. It is just that hybrids generally produce even more than the best producing heirloom thus needing more nutrients and water. In a survival situation you may need that extra food to survive so think seriously of using hybrids for the first few years.
4. Hybrids are weaker: When you push for one trait in a plant or animal you often loose from another. So while you many get huge yields, that demand takes away from aspects of the plant. Many varieties of veggies are bred for disease resistance. Do not confuse this with Genetically Modified Plants. Those are plants that actually have pesticides in their genetic makeup through mad scientist tinkering. And these freaks of nature should be banned!
Hybrids that are disease resistant are just those that have been chosen from plants that showed a superior resistance to certain blight. (This would be like me going out to my corn and finding all my plants infected with blight except one. I would be wise to harvest the seeds from that one plant and use them to plant next years corn patch) this is a very useful trait in a survival situation because while other people may loose an entire crop from some fungus (we had this happen) your plants will still be thriving. The food from these plants may not taste as good as the heirlooms you could have grown but at least you have food.
5. Hybrids will not breed true: This is absolutely right! Hybrids will spit out a variety that is different from the one you got the seed out of. But then again unless you are careful and knowledgeable about your seed propagation, many of the seeds that you will be saving from your heirloom seeds will be natural hybrids from cross-pollination.
6. Heirlooms taste better: Absolutely. I love my heirloom tomatoes, melons, and winter squash. I know I’ve been a little hard on the heirlooms thus far, but it’s mainly because of all the smug comments that are bandied about willy-nilly regarding the superiority of heirlooms. I believe both have their place in our survival seeds preps.
7. Heirlooms breed true: This is only if you know a lot about seed production and know how to keep your plant from being cross pollinated with a different variety. Most people do not have this knowledge. However there are many types of plants that are “self pollinators” meaning they create seeds without outside pollination. These would be good selections for the survival seeds. These include peas, beans, lettuces, and tomatoes. So don’t loose hope!
The Two Pronged Survival Seed Plan
So are heirlooms better than hybrids? I guess it all depends on what you’re using them for. I suggest a two pronged approach for survival seed storage that I think will increase the odds for most newbies to succeed at producing better harvests and thus better chances of surviving the first critical years after a total collapse.
Why hybrids for the first two years?
Hybrids have noted traits that will be valuable in a survival situation. So you may not be able to get true seeds from the parent plants but as seeds are relatively cheap – 35 cents to $1.99 per packet – stocking two years worth is not that big of an investment. Here is a list of qualities that make hybrids a good choice.
Early Harvest – this means you will get your peas, lettuce, melons, or corn sooner than anyone else. Also consider that you may have people stealing your crops so getting them to harvest faster may help you because thieves will be expecting the harvesting to not start for weeks.
Disease Resistant – many varieties are noted for disease resistance. This is very important because you could loose your entire tomato crop to one blight. One year our area was affected by tomato blight and only those people with resistant varieties had tomatoes.
Drought Tolerant – You may not have running water anymore
and be relying on rain or on hauled water so the less you need the better
High Yields – This is a sword that cuts both ways. The more the plant produces the better for your family, but it will also mean more water and nutrients demanded. If you live in a drought prone area or an area that you must always irrigate I would go more to the drought tolerant plants. But if you have adequate water go for the high yields. Also take into consideration loss due to theft and animal and insect damage.
All of these are very important if you are really relying on your garden to survive.
For the First Two Years After a Total Collapse
Buy enough seeds for two years worth of planting in Hybrids or Notably High Producing Heirlooms. You will be new to this and as a newbie many of your ventures will not pan out the way the book says. Gardening takes practice! Also you may be using soil that is of poor quality, is from just broken sod, or has little nutrients. The more you stack the deck in your favor the more likely you are to get a decent harvest. Get seeds for plants that mature early, have high crop yields, and are disease resistant and drought tolerant. Remember that you may experience crop loss or destruction from those searching for food. The more you can produce with quicker harvest times the better.
Make sure your seeds are suited towards your climate. Call your local extension office and they can give you a list of varieties that are known to do well in your area.
Buy seeds in paper packets not plastic bags. The more light the seed is exposed to the more likely it is to not germinate or be weak.
Get seeds that produce food that is good for storage and easy to grow. Concentrate on the Three Sisters (Beans, Corn, Squash) and round out with lots of root vegetables. Then add extras that will make the diet more varied. Look especially for varieties that can be grown into late fall like cabbage, leeks, spinach, Swiss chard, lettuces, beets, carrots, turnips etc. There are some fall crops that can be grown under cover deep into winter. Try to get more than one variety of the same group so that if one gets knocked out from disease the other might escape. Sow several different winter squash varieties. That way you aren’t in a fix if one variety ends up tanking in your area.
As always make sure the varieties are suited to your climate! Many long season crops will not mature in time for early fall frosts, but almost all have varieties that have been developed for short season areas.
After Two Years:
If things are still bad after two years its time to shift to all heirloom varieties. You will now have enough experience under your belt to start seed saving. Take into consideration all of the above and apply it to your heirloom seed purchases. Get twice as much as you’ll think you’ll need and get even more corn because you will be using it for flour, meal, whole, and for animal feed. Also buy enough been and pea seed to plant large plots. A half-acre of beans could supply a family all winter. Dried beans are an excellent winter food in soups and for baked beans. The left over vines can be cured and used as winter fodder for pigs, goats, horses, cows, rabbits, and sheep.
Animal Feed
If you are raising all your own produce chances are your going to really want some farm animals for milk, eggs, and meat. But how do you feed those bottomless pits without commercial feed stores? Planning ahead for growing animal feed is a good idea. Some seed varieties for high quality animal feed that is easy to grow is:
Sunflowers: Every part of the plant is edible to pigs, horses, goats, and cows. Rabbits love the leaves and chickens love the seed heads. Some farmers in poor areas grow this in place of grain for animal feed.
Pumpkins: This has been used for years as winter animal fodder. It’s high in protein, easy to grow/harvest/store and most animals seem to love it. Especially goats, pigs, and cows.
Mangle Beets: Good pig fodder
Corn: Excellent grain for fattening animals. Can be cracked for all animals and fed as grain ration or to fatten for butcher. The stalks can be fed to horses, cattle, pigs, and goats but care must be taken to prevent mold.
Potatoes: Easy to grow/store and high in nutrition but must be cooked before feeding to animals
Peas: Most animals will eat the vines as well as the pods. Think about planting a late fall field and turning pig out in it all winter. Do not use the cut flower variety, as these are poisonous!
Turnips: Good pig feed
Carrots: Most animals love them
How to store seeds
Your seeds should always be in a cool/dark/dry place. Also a big consideration is temperature variations. The more the temps fluctuate the more your seeds loose viability. A basement works best because it stays cool and dark and the temperature stays steady. The freezer is not a good choice because of temperature/humidity fluctuations and the chance of a power outage that causes water to get into the seed packets.
Heat sealing your seeds in the original packages would be a good idea so that you have the planting instructions and varieties readily available. [JWR Adds: Seeds are living things, so they need some oxygen. It is fine to heat seal their bags, but do not vacuum seal them.] Seeds won’t do you much good if you plant them incorrectly. Then putting them in some sort of air tight and waterproof container with a few oxygen and moisture absorbers would be smart. Putting the packages in an unused paint can would ensure no water would be able to get in them and new paint cans can be picked up relatively cheaply at auto paint supply stores. Paint cans are tough and sealable but also open easy enough with a flat head screwdriver.
Books that are helpful for seed saving knowledge and basic gardening:
Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times by Steve Solomon: This is absolutely essential; it specifically focuses on survival gardening and seed saving.
All New Square Foot Gardening
The Encyclopedia of Country Living
Recommended Seeds Companies
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds – Good selection of tomatoes, winter squash, and heirloom corn. These are quality seeds and are shipped quickly. I’ve been using them for years and have always had excellent germination and good harvests. Great customer service and a free illustrated catalog.
Gurneys – Very good quality seeds with some heirloom varieties
American Seed Company – I found out through research that the brand name seeds are sold in the cheaper packs just like brand name cereals are the same as the generics. Your paying for the label. If you have a business you can order seed packages at cost with no shipping charges (as long as you order a kiosk). I was able to order over 1,500 packages for $180. That worked out to 12 cents per pack. I have been using these seeds for years and have always had great germination, vigorous plants, and good yields.
Conclusion
Your survival seed plan is something to really think about. This pre-planning may save your families life and should not be taken lightly. Do your research and when in doubt buy more than you’ll think you’ll need.
Dear Mr. Rawles:
Thank you for your dedication to the survivalist movement. As a Ten Cent Challenge subscriber, I appreciate being able to read many of the posts and comments on your web site. I am hoping to pose a question to you and your readers about becoming foster parents as survivalists.
First, I little about us:We live in a small suburban community in Ohio. Because of several issues, we have decided to retreat in place. With a little land, we have created a suburban homestead with a large garden and a small chicken flock. We have also begun laying up food staples and have a good source for water and the ability to filter it. We will soon be converting the house to heat with a wood burner. Also, we have an ever growing supply of firearms (handguns and long guns) for hunting and self defense. We are also blessed to be able to home school our two grade school children and are trying to instill our Christian beliefs in their lives. My wife and I have always considered expanding our family by adopting or being foster parents. In light of the potential for hard times around the corner, we feel that this may truly be a way to reach out to a child and offer support where there may not be other options.
That being said, keeping OPSEC in mind, I am concerned about inviting the social services network into our home for the inspections to which we would be subjected. Primary issues are: Firearms (in a locked safe), food storage, and home schooling. Whether we are or are not approved as a foster home, I feel as though we would be “on record” – which of course concerns me. While some of the items could be concealed or temporarily moved, I am sure that what we are doing would be noticed and documented.
I am sure that you have a least a few readers who have adopted or are currently foster parents, maybe some in Ohio, who could give us some advice in relation to these questions. Thanks – Robert in Ohio
JWR Replies: By God’s grace, I’ve never had any run-ins with snooping officials. Part of this may simply be because I live in such a remote area, and I lead a very quiet life, locally. Because of this, I don’t feel qualified to comment on that topic. Perhaps some readers can e-mail me to comment on their experiences, and I’ll post their comments, anonymously.
G.G. forwarded this link: The rest of the world goes West when America prints more money. Here is a key quote: “This crazy money-printing is going to be seen as the primary cause of Western inflation, food riots and a commodity price spike.”
Reader J.B.G. sent this: Is Soros Betting on U.S. Financial Collapse?
Also from J.B.G.: Two Million People About to Be Denied Unemployment Benefits
Frequent content contributor B.B. sent this: Chinese Credit Rater Downgrades U.S.
Jon in New York flagged this: Centro, facing money problems, plans to combine, eliminate routes north and west of Syracuse. Jon noted: “Comments following the story can be very enlightening about how ignorant people truly are about how such services are funded and just how few people actually use those services.”
Items from The Economatrix:
Coming Inflation To Not Only Make Dollar Worth Less, But Worthless!
Packagers and Supermarkets Pressured to Pass Along Rising Costs
Credit Suisse: QE2 Just Made China’s Inflation Threat Much, Much Worse
The Price of Oil is Going Up, The Price of Food is Going Up, and Now Here Comes Quantitative Easing
Le emperor sans culottes: Texas Governor Rick Perry correctly opined “…Social Security is bankrupt and is a Ponzi scheme, and if you’ve got a young 20-something-year-old, they know for a fact that they’re not ever going to see that.”
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Joshua S. pointed us to a good reason why you should be prepared everywhere you go — even on vacation: Hungry Ship Passengers Told to Eat Tic-Tacs
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Yet another member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns is facing criminal charges, this one for wife beating: Mayor’s wife takes stand to accuse Bradley of domestic abuse. Has anyone analyzed the felony conviction rate of their member roster of this “crime fighting” organization. Talk about a Rogue’s Gallery…
"Statesmen, my dear Sir, may plan and speculate for liberty, but it is Religion and Morality alone, which can establish the Principles upon which Freedom can securely stand. The only foundation of a free Constitution is pure Virtue, and if this cannot be inspired into our People in a greater Measure, than they have it now, they may change their Rulers and the forms of Government, but they will not obtain a lasting liberty." – President John Adams, June 21, 1776
On November 11th of each year we honor to our nation’s military veterans. We sincerely thank you for your sacrifices. And for the families of those who made the supreme sacrifice, you are in our prayers.
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Today we present a guest article as well as another entry for Round 31 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 $795, 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, B.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and C.) 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 31 ends on November 30th, 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.
In Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, I reviewed the available information regarding expiration dates of specific medications, primarily antibiotics and antiviral drugs, as tested in the FDA’s Shelf Life Extension Program (SLEP). Although antimicrobial medications are important, what about other common drugs used on a daily basis? If you or someone you know suffers from diabetes, chronic pain, arthritis, asthma, hypertension, heart disease, or other serious condition, will medications be safe and effective beyond their expiration dates?
The following is excerpted from my upcoming book, Armageddon Medicine:
Published data has documented the safety of many medications beyond their expirations dates. The Medical Letter (Vol. 44, Issue 1142, October 28, 2002) states: “84% of 1,122 lots of 96 different drug products stored in military facilities in their unopened original containers would be expected to remain stable for an average of 57 months after their original expiration date.” However, the products tested were primarily antibiotics and other drugs used for emergency purposes.
What information is available regarding common medications for other acute conditions, or chronic conditions? Only scattered reports are available. Per the same issue of The Medical Letter, captopril and TheoDur tablets remained chemically and physically stable for 1.5-to-9 years beyond their expiration dates; amantadine and rimantidine remained stable after storage for 25 years; another theophylline preparation retained 90% potency for about 30 years. The Medical Letter concludes, “Many drugs stored under reasonable conditions retain 90% of their potency for at least 5 years after the expiration date on the label, and sometimes much longer.” They also mention that there has only been one reported case of dangerous degradation of expired medication, and that was of a type of tetracycline product that is no longer in human use. [JWR Adds: As previously mentioned in SurvivalBlog, the issue with tetracycline tablets of that vintage was a degradation of the tablet binder, and that binder is no longer in use.] (I do not know if veterinary antibiotics might use the old preparation, however.) Overall then, the concern is not regarding safety, but rather effectiveness.
Additional concerns exist regarding liquid preparations, which may be much less stable, and degrade more quickly if frozen or heated. The Medical Letter advises that “Drugs in solution, particularly injectables, that have become cloudy or discolored or show signs of precipitation should not be used.” For oral liquid medications, color changes may be related to the dyes rather than the active drugs, however. Epinephrine in EpiPens was noted to contain less than 90% potency at 10 months after the expiration date. A significant problem with eye drops is microbial contamination once the preservative becomes ineffective. In short, medications for chronic illnesses have not been tested.
Nevertheless, it seems reasonable to extrapolate from the known data on drugs that were included in the Shelf Life Extension Program, and conclude that most tablets and capsules would be both safe and effective for several years past their expiration date, when stored in the original packaging at the recommended temperatures.
However, there are a few additional questions that deserve attention: extended-release medications, generics, and drugs which require blood testing. Of the medications tested in the SLEP program, few if any were of the extended-release variety. Because Americans like the convenience of once-daily dosing, many drugs have been developed with delayed-release technology. This includes any medicine with the following in the name: XR or XL (extended release), SR (sustained or slow release), CR (controlled release), “slo,” “dur,” or “contin”. The methods by which the medications are slowly released in the stomach or intestine may not be as stable as the active drug itself, and have the potential to be effected by extremes of temperature or humidity. The release may be via a semi-permeable membrane of the entire tablet, or on each individual granule within a capsule, or by a layered tablet designed to dissolve at different pH (acidity) levels. Under adverse conditions, the active drug may be released more quickly or more slowly than intended, yielding unpredictable clinical results. For example, an extended-release blood pressure medication that enters the blood stream too quickly may lower your blood pressure too much or too rapidly. If released too slowly, it may not reduce your blood pressure adequately or at all. The dose of medication in a delayed release narcotic may be lethal if absorbed all at once.
Although I could find no specific data regarding stability of delayed-release or extended-release medications, I question whether they would be as stable or reliably absorbed as the regular versions of the drugs. Having your doctor change your medication now to a non-delayed-release preparation is a consideration. Of course, these rapid-release medications often must be taken more than once a day. Examples include Toprol XL, Wellbutrin SR and XL, Biaxin XL, Diltiazem SR and XL, Xanax XR, Effexor XR, and many others. Fortunately, the older, immediate-release versions are usually less expensive.
Another question is the stability of generic versus name brand drugs. Although I expect brand-name drugs would exhibit greater stability, cost is significantly more for most (but not all) preparations. Also, brand-name drugs are allowed a 5% leeway in bioavailability, whereas generic drugs are permitted 20%. That said, according to the FDA’s web site, recent studies showed “The average difference in absorption into the body between the generic and the brand name was only 3.5 percent [Davit et al. Comparing generic and innovator drugs: a review of 12 years of bioequivalence data from the United States Food and Drug Administration. Ann Pharmacother. 2009;43(10):1583-97].”
Whereas I believe the quality of most generic medications is excellent, I have, however, encountered some generic drugs that are difficult to swallow, or crumble easily, or stick together, or become discolored. Some of my patients swear by one generic and claim another is ineffective. If possible, investigate the country of origin of your generic prescriptions. In this case, “Made in the USA” is a good sign.
Yet another concern lies with medications where blood levels are usually monitored. Of course, at TEOTWAWKI it’s unlikely that blood testing will be performed. Drugs with “narrow therapeutic windows” pose a special concern. These drugs are ineffective at low dose but toxic at higher doses, with a small window between where the drug is therapeutic. Such drugs include digoxin, lithium, and theophylline. When serum drug levels or other biologic indices cannot be measured, dosing must be determined by clinical result and side-effects. Anti-seizure medications, thyroid preparations, and even insulin may fall in this category.
To sum it all up, the good news is that most tablets and capsules are very likely safe and quite likely effective for several years beyond the printed expiration date. Using expired medications may do for a decade beyond the end of the world as we know it.
About the Author: Cynthia J. Koelker, MD is the author of the book 101 Ways to Save Money on Health Care. The book explains how to treat over 30 common medical conditions economically, and includes dozens of sections on treating yourself. Available for under $10 online, the book offers practical advice on treating: respiratory infections, pink eye, sore throats, nausea, diarrhea, heartburn, urinary infections, allergies, arthritis, acne, hemorrhoids, dermatitis, skin infection, lacerations, lice, carpal tunnel syndrome, warts, mental illness, asthma, COPD, depression, diabetes, enlarged prostate, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and much more. For more articles by Dr. Koelker visit ArmageddonMedicine.net.
“Behold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards; there it enters the roots of the vines, to be changed into wine; a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy.”” – Benjamin Franklin, 1779 letter to André Morellet
Beer has been a coveted drink from time immemorial. It has witnessed the rise and fall of many great nations. It has been the start of relationships and the ruin of marriages. It is full of memories and yet causes selective amnesia. Beer is ingrained in us and in a certain sense is a part of our humanity. Despite ones personal feelings for the fermented beverage, one cannot deny its longevity and enduring quality. In our own county, even during Prohibition, beer flowed like the waters of the Mississippi. It is here to stay and will endure into a post-TEOTWAWKI world. Beer will be a comfort drink in the difficult times and a celebratory drink in the happy times. The skill to make beer will be a sought after talent that will provide security and income. To put it plainly, brewing beer is a specialty skill that any prepper can acquire and would do well to acquire. A couple of years ago, I received under the Christmas tree a home brewing beer kit. It was the perfect gift for someone who really enjoys the hand crafted specialty micro brew beers. I immediately delved into the world of home brewing and have since made a few beers that are certainly marketable to the wider beer drinking population. Some may or may not have the ability to win a medal, but they all have the ability to be enjoyed. I indulged in a hobby and gained a post-TEOTWAWKI skill.
Beer and alcohol in general has gained a bad reputation over the years as being the devil’s drink. Like all things that are good, it can be misused. I advocate reasoned, responsible, and legal drinking in all circumstances.
With the disclaimer out of the way, beer is a wonderful drink with many health benefits. A few years ago, I ordered from Netflix the PBS television series “Colonial House” It’s a wonderful series documenting a “colony” of pilgrims coming to the new world and building a colony. The overarching theme of rugged primitive survival with stored rations gives us a peek into what a post TEOTWAWKI life might be like, sans the camera crews. There was one scene I remember, where the governor of the colony called for a celebration and allowed double rations of beer to be doled out. The mood in the colony quickly changed from over worked depression to exuberant celebration in zero seconds flat. For the overly soft modern Man, a life of strenuous hard work is taxing on both the body and mind. If, after a long day of surviving, we have no way to unwind, burn out mode will quickly set in and all our TEOTWAWKI preparations might be for naught. Alcohol is a depressant, meaning that it slows the heart rate and produces a relaxing and calming effect in the brain. It is a perfect release in stressful and hard times. The other main benefit of beer is the calorie and vitamin content. Americans generally live a sedentary lifestyle with very little actual physical labor. Our day might include an hour trip to the gym or a three mile jog in the evening, but that hardly constitutes as an active life style. Our calorie intake must be watched since we generally don’t burn as much as we eat. If presented with a life situation where every calorie counts, the now empty calories of beer will become important to meeting our survival needs. Beer does fill you up and it does contain calories. On an historical side note, medieval monks, famed for creating some of the world’s best brews and enduring recipes, brewed a stronger beer during Lent to supplement their restricted diets because of the Lenten Fast.
Another health benefit of beer is its vitamin content. Yes, beer does contain vitamins. Researchers say that the average 12 oz. beer contains 25mg of sodium protein, calcium, potassium, phosphorus and vitamins B, B2, and B6. Not bad for a single glass of fermented liquid. Beer is also said to help prevent heart disease and improve circulation. In ages past, dark beers (stouts in particular) were recommended for nursing mothers because it helped increase milk production. A friend of mine’s wife recounts that after the birth of their second child, her mother arrived to the hospital with a six pack of Guinness. Beer also contains essential minerals which come from the water used. The general rule of thumb is the harder the water the better the brew. When you brew porters and stouts, often times you have to add brewing salts because filtered municipal water or bottled water do not contain enough minerals. The best water for brewing is natural spring water or well water because of their mineral content. If you want to find out other health benefits, I would recommend a Google search. Peruse the different articles and read about all the benefits.
The beer world is vast and expansive. Home brewing is a wonderful hobby with a growing popularity. But with any specialized hobby comes a lexicon of terms. For those who read this article with only a cursory knowledge of beer, let me help you out by giving you a brief glossary to help you through some of the terminology:
There are two types of home brews, all grain and malt extract. Brewing using a malt extract is a common and easy way to begin familiarizing yourself with the brewing process. Malt extracts come as either a dry power or liquid syrup and cuts the brewing time by more than half and makes the entire process much easier.
Extract Brewing [Note that the following instructions are designed for a 5-gallon batch of beer]
Step 1
Gather your utensils: brew pot, metal spoon, carboy, and ingredients. At this stage make sure you sanitize the spoon and carboy with boiling water. You can buy packets of One-step Sanitizer which makes this part super easy. Warning: If you’re using a plastic carboy, make sure you do not melt the plastic.
Step 2
Fill your brew pot with gallon of water and bring to a boil.
Step 3
Add the can of Malt extract to the boiling water. Boiling the wort at hard boil causes foam to form on the top. Make sure you adjust the temperature to prevent a boil over while keeping it at a hard rolling boil. Boil the extract for 45 minutes to an hour.
Step 4
During the last 10 to 15 minutes of the boil, add your hops. I add the hops in a hop sack to avoid having to strain the wort.
Step 5
Cool the wort to room temperature (about 72°). The quicker you do this, the less likely your wort will pick up any air born bacteria, fungus, or yeast. If you don’t want to spend the money to get the wort chiller, I would recommend placing the pot in a sink with ice water. This step will take a little bit of time. Make sure that you stir your wort while cooling, using your sterilized spoon. This helps cool the wort faster and also helps to oxygenize the wort.
Step 6
Pitch the yeast, i.e. add the yeast to the wort. If you are using dry yeast make sure you activate it before adding it to your wort. If you are using liquid yeast follow the manufacturer’s instruction. I have never successfully used a liquid yeast before so I really can give much advice on this particular thing. After you pitch the yeast let it stand for 5 minutes then give it a vigorous stir.
Step 7
Pour the beer into the sanitized carboy and seal it with the air lock top. The air lock top is a special cap which allows for the gasses to escape while maintaining the air tight seal of your carboy. Place the beer filled carboy in a dark place with a relatively even temperature. Note: UV rays from the sun will spoil your beer. Fermentation will begin almost immediately. You should begin to hear the clicking of the air lock only a few hours after you seal the carboy. If you do not, then you most likely have a problem with your yeast. This happened to me the one time I used liquid yeast. I reopened the carboy and pitched it with dry yeast. While my beer did not suffer any ill effects, I probably violated a million home brewing laws. Oh well, I still made beer!
Step 8
The primary fermentation can take up to two weeks or as little as one week depending on the type of beer you are brewing. You will know when the beer has completed fermentation when you no longer hear the gas escaping from the airlock. Once fermentation has finished you can bottle your beer. However, some beers need to condition after fermentation. The flavor of beer will change the longer it sits. Different flavors will become more pronounced while others will become more subtle. This past summer, I made a Belgian wit bier (think Blue Moon). After the initial fermentation, it had a very distinct orange flavor from the orange I used in the brewing process. After about a month of conditioning, the orange flavor mellowed and the coriander and hops became more pronounced. Needless to say it was a really good beer that ended up being the hit at all my summer cook outs.
Step 9
Bottle your beer. Before you bottle your beer there are a few things that you must consider. First, you must have the correct type of bottle. When you carbonate your beer in the bottle, which is the process I will be explaining in this step, screw top bottles will not work. They do not have enough of a lip on the mouth of the bottle to create the proper seal. When collecting bottles make sure you get the ones where you had to pry the cap off. Generally, the imports and microbrews like Guinness or Fat Tire have the right kind of bottle, while Bud and Bud light all have screw tops. Finally, you have to consider the color of the bottle. While most bottles are brown, you will have the opportunity to collect clear bottles (from Corona) or green bottles (from Yuengling or Heineken). Brown bottles will protect your beer from the suns UV rays and prevent your beer from becoming skunked. There is no such guarantee from clear or green. Bottling the beer can be tricky at first. But once you get the hang of it, it will go very quickly. You must make sure that all your bottles are properly sanitized before bottling. You can either boil the bottles or use the super easy one-step sanitizer again. I prefer the one-step sanitizer. Add to your bottles ¾ tsp – 1 ½ tsp of corn sugar (not corn syrup) for secondary fermentation, i.e. carbonation. White granulated sugar will work, although it’s generally not recommended. Use a siphon tube and siphon your beer into the bottle, filling it with 12 oz of beer. Using your nifty store bought capper, cap your bottle with a new cap and gently (let me stress the word gently) shake the bottle to mix in the sugar.
Step 10
Store your beer for a minimum of one week, preferably two week, allowing your beer the time to fully carbonate. In my opinion, this is hands down the HARDEST step. By the end of the two weeks, I have enough built up anticipation that I make a child on Christmas morning look like a stoic Buddhist monk. Chill your beer and enjoy!!!
Grain Brewing
All grain brewing is virtually the same as extract brewing, except that instead of buying the concentrated wort, you will be making the wort. You make the wort by converting the grain’s starches into sugars and sparging the sugars out. This requires the use of a mash tun. While you can buy a mash tun, why not build one. I made my mash tun using the instructions from this web site.
It works, it’s easy, it’s cheap, and best of all, you can make it at home!
Step 1
Crush your grain into grist and add it to your mash tun. If you already have a grain mill for post-TEOTWAWKI milling, you can use it pre-TEOTWAWKI to crush grain for beer. Don’t mill the grain into flour, just crush it enough to make it a coarsely crushed grist.
Step 2
Heat your strike water to about 170° and add it into your mash tun. Your mash should steep at a temperature of roughly 155°. When you add the strike water to the grain, it normally will cool the water to the proper temperature. Be careful not to overheat the strike water since over heating the water will kill the enzymes that convert the starch into sugar. Stir the grain thoroughly, close the lid and cover with blankets. Let the mash steep for about an hour.
Step 3
Collect the wort by draining the mash tun into your brew kettle. Add heated sparge water back into the mash tun. Drain the sparge water from the mash tun into your brew kettle. This flushes out any remaining sugars left in the grain. I’m told that the remaining mash is very healthy to eat. It is my understanding that soaking grains before consumption helps you digest the grain and allows you to absorb more nutrients than you otherwise would if you consumed un-soaked grains.
Finish your batch of all grain brew by following steps 3-10 from the previous. Enjoy your all grain home brew!
The world of home brewing is vast. Every home brewer has his special process with his own particular steps. It is what make home brewing a hobby. There is always something to tweak. There is always something new to try, making each batch unique and enjoyable. What is today a fun hobby for a lazy Saturday, might be a sought-after skill post-Schumer By learning now how to brew, you will be able to testify to “God’s love for mankind” post-TEOTWAWKI and probably make a few bucks in the process. So bottoms up, cheers, and happy brewing!
JWR Adds: Needless to say, beer brewing brings with it the moral responsibility of controlling who gets their hands on your product. Obviously, minors, idiots, people with addictive personalities, malcontents, and anyone who is irresponsible should be entirely “off the list.” In a societal collapse, there will be many who will be tempted to drift into alcoholism, squander their resources, and fail to provide for their families. Do not contribute to their downfall!
You also need to consider that if gain a reputation as the local brewer that some locals will assume that you keep a lot of beer on hand–regardless of whether on not that is a fact. So this could give your home a higher likelihood of burglary or armed robbery.
Lastly, depending on where you live there are tax, licensing, and health code/inspection requirements if you sell beer for profit.
Mr. Rawles,
Please add my comments regarding Lt. Vernon Baker. I have owned a small ranch about half way between St. Maries and Potlatch, Idaho for the last decade. Lt. Baker was highly respected in St. Maries, and throughout the rest of Benewah County, Idaho. This last summer the whole town came together to raise funds to pay all the expenses for his widow and a companion to attend Lt. Baker’s internment at Arlington National Cemetery. The folks in town were proud to do it.
I don’t know where Alex B. is geographically so I can’t speak to his circumstances. I have been temporarily living on the wrong side of the Big Muddy for the last six years. What I can tell you is that where I come from we value a man or woman on the basis of how they keep their word, and how they treat others. That’s why our whole community leaped into action within hours of hearing about Lt. Baker’s demise and his widow’s need. I have seen that same spirit in Oklahoma where I have friends, but I have never once seen that spirit in the six years I have lived in the Eastern United States. At the company where I used to work for the last six years (I am now retired ) I was never able to raise more than $300 for the local food bank in the whole month between Thanksgiving and Christmas, despite the company employing almost 600 people.
I think that Alex will find that in the West and in the South – in the agricultural areas – race is less a factor that it once was, and that a great many of the locals are open hearted and respond readily to people of good character. We have lots of room in the West for folks who want to live and worship in freedom. – James J., Behind Enemy Lines
Market pundit Robert Wiedemer recently had the nerve to call gold “the biggest, baddest bubble of them all.” What myopia. He’s looking up at gold’s position only because his vantage point is from the veritable crater formed by the collapsing U.S. Dollar. Gold is simply rising to its natural level, amid a bevy of fiat currencies that are in a frantic race to the bottom. The precious metals are nowhere near the end of the current bull market.
China Says Fed Easing May Flood World With `Hot Money’
Fed Will ‘Self Destruct,’ Policy ‘Deeply Flawed’: Ron Paul
Sullivan: The Coming Fiscal Catastrophe in the United States (Thanks to Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit for the link.)
K.S. suggested this piece by Bill Bonner: US Debt Crisis: What NOT to Do When Your Country is Broke
Items from The Economatrix:
14 Pieces of Bad Economic News
Germany 1914-1923 Hyperinflation — Coming Here?
Bankruptcy of US is “Mathmatical Certainty”
Credit Scores To Be Revised Amid Soaring Mortgage Defaults
Glenn Beck Video Clip: So What Happens Next? Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3
Reader M.B. recommended a classic book that is available on-line: Narrative of a Voyage to Senegal in 1816 by Corréard and Savigny. M.B. notes: “This is a fascinating true story about a group of people who were placed in what today could be referred to as “The End of the World as They Knew It.”. The book is in the public domain. Such lessons from the past are relevant to those today in a preparedness mindset.”
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B.B. flagged this: Americans on Food Stamps Reach New High
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Reader Karl W. suggested a source for inexpensive safety glasses. Karl’s comment: “These are great for those of us over 40 on a budget or always seem to misplace their cheaters.”
Today we present another entry for Round 31 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 $795, 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, B.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and C.) 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 31 ends on November 30th, 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.