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.

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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

Odds ‘n Sods:

Michelle sent us this: Global Cold Wave May Be Looming — This Time, the Science Is Good

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Reader RBS suggested some commentary by sci-fi veteran Robert Silverberg that puts all of the Peak Oil punditry in proper perspective: Reflections: The Death of Gallium

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I was troubled to see that the erroneous e-mail titled “Wasp Spray…important information” is still circulating, after more than two years. What is described therein is a good way to get sued for every penny that you have, for blinding some goblin. As I’ve mentioned many times in SurvivalBlog, we live in a very litigious society. People file lawsuits on any pretense. Do not use wasp spray or oven spray for self defense. Instead, buy commercially-made Mace, and or a Pepper Oil (OC) mix with ultraviolet dye. It will just as effective, yet it will reduce the chances of a lawsuit!

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Brian B. sent the link to a humorous YouTube clip: For The Record: Guns Are Good

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot will be victorious.” – Sun Tsu, The Art of War translated ” by Samuel B. Griffith. (Foreword by B.H. Liddell Hart), Oxford University Press edition, 1982

Note from JWR:

The “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course doesn’t go on sale very often. Order your copy today, at a great sale price! This special sale that starts today will run for just three weeks, so don’t hesitate.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Winners — Round 28

We’ve completed the judging! And the winners are…

First Prize goes to C.F., for A Southwesterner’s Experience in Family Preparedness, posted on April 2nd. He will receive: 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 Federal 5.56mm XM193 55 Grain FMJ ammo, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo. This is a $199 value, and includes free UPS shipping.

Second Prize goes to A&C.K., for their article Caring for Babies in TEOTWAWKI, posted on May 26th. They will receive: 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 goes to Vaerity, for her article The Broke Survivalist, A Learning Experience, posted on April 16th. She will receive: 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.)

Honorable mention prizes go to seven writers for these articles:

They will each receive a $30 Amazon.com gift certificate.

Note to prize winners: Please e-mail me your snail mail addresses (both UPS and US mail), and I’ll get your prizes out, right away.

Today we begin Round 29 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. Get busy writing, and e-mail your entry!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.

Guest Article: Sea Salt–An Indispensable Commodity for Uncertain Times, by Roxanne Griswold

When we think about setting aside emergency supplies, most of us would agree that preserved food and purified water are the essentials and everything else is secondary to these. Some might even choose to incorporate things like a manual grain mill, a water purifier, a food dehydrator, a solar cook stove and so on. But who would ever consider something as simple and humble as sea salt as an indispensable necessity and commodity in the tumultuous days ahead? I would even go so far as to say if sea salt is not a part of your survival provisions, it’s time to tuck away this invaluable, hidden treasure.

In fact, salt was once valued as a form of currency – it was that scarce, and considered a luxury of few. The ancient Greeks used salt to trade for slaves and Roman soldiers were paid in “salt money” or “salarium argentum” where we derive the English word, “salary”. Homer called it “Divine”. Jesus calls His followers (which I’m honored to say I am) the “salt of the earth”. Wars have been fought and whole settlements turned into cities and nations over the pursuit of salt. Just as gold and silver have once again gained ground in this present economic meltdown, so also will sea salt be a valuable and tradable commodity, literally “worth its weight in gold.” It will be a supreme bartering tool.

Sea salt has a unique ability of drawing out the flavor in food like no other seasoning, but this is secondary to yet another one of its amazing values. Salt has long been known for its ability to preserve foods. If in the event of societal and economic collapse, refrigeration may be a thing of the past. Unless you plan to consume what you pick immediately, depend on your air dehydrator or live off your food storage, you will need salt for preserving food. During harvest time, there should be plenty of fresh food (assuming you thought ahead to plant a garden), but the long harsh winters will inevitably come and preserving food will be a crucial issue. Even hunting for game, chances are you will not be able to consume it all in one sitting – salt preservation will be key. And without power, your pressure canner or electric dehydrator will not get you very far, so salt can be the perfect alternate route. 

With salt’s same ability to retard spoilage, “mineral dense sea salt” will also aid in the disinfecting and healing of wounds. A simple salt paste or soaking a wound in a salt/water solution several times a day, should achieve positive results. Sea salt also rejuvenates the skin keeping a more youthful appearance while aiding in the healing of acne, psoriasis, eczema and other skin related problems. Did you ever wonder why your skin felt so tight, free and clear of irritation or blemishes after spending a day at the beach? Sea salt has miracle healing properties that are often overlooked. In fact, the Blue Lagoon in Iceland is world renown for its hot salt springs that people flock to with skin conditions. Dead Sea salts are another sought- after skin commodity.

But might I be quick to add that not just any salt will suffice when it comes to you and your precious loved ones, especially typical table salt (sodium chloride) and in some cases, certain brands of sea salt. Salt that is processed for vast human consumption while meeting the public’s demand for a product that is cheap and convenient, much is also sacrificed. According to Jacques De Langre, the author of the book Seasalt’s Hidden Powers, table salt has been stripped of all but two of its 84 trace minerals through a chemical process, dried at extreme temperatures, and oftentimes – for the sake of appearance – anti-caking, free-flowing, or conditioning agents are added along with iodine. But buyer beware of even some brands of so-called sea salt: It may be mechanically harvested from dirt or concrete basins and piped through metal conduits; artificially processed; heated to extreme temperatures to break the molecular structure; stripped of its essential minerals and further adulterated by chemical additives. In essence, many highly acclaimed “sea salts” are no different than plain ole table salt.

So where do you find pure, unadulterated salt – like God intended in nature? The best sea salt we have discovered on the market is Celtic Sea Salt. Dense with vital trace minerals along with its light gray hue from the pure clay soil that it’s harvested from, this sea salt is unmistakable in old world flavor and nutritious. (And taste may mean everything with a bland diet of survival foods!) Extracted from the natural evaporation of the sea and wind alone, the ocean brine is channeled from the sea to the pristine shallow clay ponds, surrounded by vegetation. It provides a natural habitat for the salt while the salt farmer gathers the dazzling white crystals with a long, shovel like tool then collects it daily by hand.

Celtic Sea Salt® can be a simple addition to any food storage plan that just makes sense. It not only stores indefinitely, it provides so many hidden health benefits to mention in this article, but here are just a few: Supplying well over 80 (24 of which are essential to life) minerals needed for proper metabolic functions and the assimilation of necessary nutrients in the body, natural sea salt is also an excellent immune booster and helps keep the body alkaline. It works synergistically with vitamins and other minerals for their bioavailability to the body. For instance, we know that calcium needs both magnesium and Vitamin D3 to be absorbed; Sodium and potassium need each other in the proper proportions to help maintain normal blood pressure and water distribution. Since natural sea salt contains a balance of minerals including sodium and potassium, the body is able to safely eliminate any excess sodium without the complications of typical table salt. This is a huge benefit for those who have to monitor their salt intake.

In an age of degenerative diseases and in the difficult times that may lie ahead, no doubt sea salt will be valuable to keep on hand. It’s not only essential for health and vitality, but clearly carries a vast array of benefits. Discover for yourself why sea salt should be an important part of not only your emergency storage plan, but to a healthier “you”.

“Sea water contains minerals such as ionized sodium, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and selenium, plus many trace elements such as copper, iron, zinc, manganese, and chromium. The human body uses the minerals & trace elements in sea salt to create electrolytes, maintaining the “internal ocean” which is vital to the proper functioning of every system in the body.”

Roxanne Griswold, Ready Made Resources, LLC

Letter Re: Desert Water–Where is It?

James:
I live in Prescott, Arizona about 80 miles north of Phoenix. We are at over 5,000 ft. altitude, in the mountainous high desert, where the temperatures are usually about 20 degrees F lower than down in the valley. The local creeks still have some water flowing in them from the rain and snow we received this past winter, but the flow is now down to a trickle and they will cry up completely soon. We actually get some decent rain storms during the local monsoon season, usually around July, but we’re not allowed to trap it in reservoirs because it’s all spoken for. Like they say around here, “Whisky is for drinking; water is for fighting.”

Most of “our” water either flows down to the major population centers to the south, or sinks into the ground to recharge the local water table. We have an aquifer a few hundred feet down, but it has been slowly going down over the last few years as a result of population growth (that’s what we get for being one of those “best places to retire”). There are some farms with greenhouses in the area that are fed by wells, but they cannot produce enough to feed our local population. We get no water from outside like Phoenix does from the irrigation canals that have been built to carry water from the Colorado River.

Yesterday I drove my wife down to Phoenix to catch a plane, and we noticed a huge traffic jam on the northbound side of the I-17 where a small brush fire had briefly closed the highway to traffic the day before. This was on the part of the hill where the signs tell you to turn off your air conditioning to prevent overheating while going up a long, steep grade, and the semis move along at about 10 mph. We looked at each other and said, “Those people are all going to die when the Schumer hits the fan.” Down in Phoenix, the temperature was already in the 90s, and everyone had their AC cranked up to the max.

I used to live in Phoenix when I was a kid back in the 1950s, and can remember what 116 degrees in the shade feels like. Back then the population of the valley was about 10% of that it is now, and it was a pretty nice place to live. Our subdivision was in what had, until recently, been a lemon grove, and they’d open the gates from the local canal to flood our lawns twice a month to keep the grass green. The irrigation canals were originally built to bring water to feed the citrus groves and cotton fields that have been largely replaced by mile after mile of suburban sprawl. If the grid ever goes down for any length of time, millions of retirees are going to discover that the desert really is uninhabitable, and they aren’t going to be able to live there after the air conditioning and water pumps stop running. So, where are they all going to go?

Like you said in a previous post, towns like Prescott and Sedona will quickly become free-fire zones in a TEOTWAWKI situation. If the grid goes down we will have it marginally better than the hordes down in the low desert, but even this area can naturally support a population of only a few thousand, like it did back when Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday lived here. In the event of a mass exodus from Phoenix, we may have to put up road blocks at the strategic choke points on the few roads leading into town, and tell the golden horde to try to keep going on up to Flagstaff. Sorry, no vacancy…

If you go further north up towards Ash Fork and Williams and the other old railroad towns along old Route 66, they have to actually truck water in because they can’t even get it out of wells up there (this explains why the population density is so low in that area). If you’ve ever driven on I-40 between California and Texas, you’ll quickly realize that in a real TEOTWAWKI scenario most of the people who live in the Los Angeles area are going to be lucky to get through the Mojave Desert, let alone to the Colorado River.

Those who make it that far will still have to cross hundreds of miles of high desert in Arizona (before they get to even more desert in New Mexico…). It’s easy to imagine tens of thousands of broken down cars along the Interstate between Needles and Kingman and Seligman and Ash Fork. The southerly routes along I-10 and I-8 in the hot low desert will be even worse. Look at your road atlas and try to imagine how many suburbanites are going to end up dead before they get to a gas station that still has gas, let alone to any place that has enough water.

It’s almost enough to make you want to move back to Missouri or Minnesota or somewhere else where water actually falls from the sky on a regular basis. Regards, – Robert L.

Letter Re: Storage Options–Hidden in Plain Sight

Dear SurvivalBlog Readers:
How do you conceal resources so an intruder won’t see them? Try storing things in plain sight.

An old soft drink machine, the kind that looks like a large refrigerator and dispenses cans, makes a great weapons locker. Anyone looking through your shop or garage would walk right past a machine like that, if it’s not plugged in and shows no sign of active use. The great thing about these is they are very difficult to break into and when all the can distribution stuff is removed, they can hold a lot of guns, ammo or food. A weapons safe can be encouragement for determined thieves to work harder or apply extreme measures to force the owner to open it.

How about a new plastic 500 gallon septic tank? They will hold a lot of supplies and few would ever think to pop the top of one of those to peek inside. (I borrowed this idea but it’s a good one.)

Many garages and shops have open-frame walls. A 2×6 wall can hold a lot of food supply if you caulk the seams well and cover it with something like OSB plywood to hang your tools on. The caulking will keep the bugs and rodents out.

An old washing machine can store items like food or propane cylinders. Few burglars will bother to remove the heavy “something” that’s sitting on the lid.

Even if your plan is to “bug in,” it’s a good idea to store much of your food in small caches. If you are robbed, they likely won’t get everything. – Tyler W.