Preparedness Notes for Monday — August 29, 2022

August 29th is a mournful day, as we remember the anniversary of the death of “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” – Isaiah 40:3. John, the Baptist, who heralded the first coming of our Lord and stood true to his belief in the face of death, was beheaded on this day in 29AD.

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In 1862, the Second Battle of Bull Run in Virginia began. The same day marked the founding of the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

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Today’s feature article is a review written by our Field Gear Editor Emeritus, Pat Cascio.

CRKT Butte Folder, by Pat Cascio

Some of my favorite knives are the ones that are simple in design, but still made out of good materials. The new “Butte” folder, from CRKT Knives, Columbia River Knife and Tool (CRKT) is fast becoming one of my favorites that have come into my hands for testing. I’ve always been of the opinion that “simpler” is better, when it comes to a lot of things, simply because there are fewer parts to break or lose.

The Butte is made in Taiwan (Free China), so keep that in mind – and you get as good as you want in a knife from Taiwan. And you get a lot of value for your money, too.

The Butte was designed by custom knife maker and designer Lucas Burnley, right in my home state of Oregon. He works out of Bend, Oregon – I just might have to pay him a visit one of these days – when gas prices get back to halfway normal. As it is, we limit our driving these days, to running a few errands each week – and that’s it. As this is being written, we are looking at regular unleaded gas going for $4.88 per gallon – ouch!

The folks at CRKT picked up on this Burnley design, and are doing a collaboration with him. This isn’t their first collaboration with him. Many of the knives that CRKT produces are collaborations with some well-known custom knife makers. This benefits us all, as we get some superb near-custom knives, at a fraction of the price we’d have to pay for a custom version of a knife.Continue reading“CRKT Butte Folder, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Butternut Squash and Beef Stew

The following recipe Butternut Squash and Beef Stew is from reader K.D..

Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion, peeled and chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 2 pounds stew beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup cooking wine (Marsala is preferred, but you may substitute Madeira, Port, or Pinot Noir wine.)
  • 1 pound butternut squash, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
  • 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
  • 3 to 4 cups beef broth
  • 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, or more to taste
  • Bread, for serving (Fresh or Crusts)
Directions
  1. In a large soup pot heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.
  2. Add the onions, garlic, rosemary, and thyme and saute until the onions are tender, about 2 minutes.
  3. Toss the beef cubes in salt and pepper and flour.
  4. Turn up the heat to medium-high and add the beef to the pot. Cook until the beef is browned and golden around the edges, about 5 minutes.
  5. Add the wine.
  6. Using a wooden spoon, gently stir up anything from the bottom of the pan.
  7. Add the butternut squash and sun-dried tomatoes, and stir to combine them.
  8. Add enough beef broth to just cover the beef and squash.
  9. Bring the stew to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 1 hour.
  10. Season the stew with additional salt and pepper to taste.
  11. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley.
SERVING

Can be kept simmering (covered) for a couple of hours, if need be to match a meal serving time, if there is enough liquid. (You can add some broth, as needed.) This stew is best served with bread — either fresh bread or bread crusts. This stew can also be served with biscuits or even just saltine crackers.

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Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven and slow cooker recipes, and any that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we study the news of announced layoffs and planned layoffs. (See the Economy & Finance section.)

Precious Metals:

Gold to Silver Ratio Still Favors Gold.  JWR’s Comments:  When I checked on Friday, the ratio was a whopping 90.22-to-1. For those who invest in precious metals for the long haul (multi-generationally), this is another good time to ratio trade out of gold into silver.

Meanwhile, the gold-to-platinum ratio is also seriously out of whack. You can now buy almost two ounces of platinum for the cost of an ounce of gold. So this is a good time to trade some gold for platinum. Presently, my favorite platinum coins are the 1/4-ounce, and 1/2-ounce US. Mint Platinum Liberty.

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The Most Overrated Silver Coin in the World.

Economy & Finance:

Ford confirms cutting 3,000 jobs as it pushes towards electric.

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Tech companies chop hundreds of Bay Area jobs as layoffs mount.  JWR’s Comment: This doesn’t include the 1,000+ layoffs expected when Broadcom‘s $61 Billion acquisition of VMWare is completed. And there will probably be many other pre-Thanksgiving layoffs by tech companies in the Bay Area, as the realization of the recession sinks in.

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Layoffs are in the works at half of companies, PwC survey shows.

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97 percent of execs say US in recession despite Biden’s definition change.

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The latest “deep pockets” lawsuit: Georgia jury awards $1.7 billion in Ford F-250 truck crash.

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At Wolf Street: Inventory Shortages & Gluts, by Retailer Segment: Where They Are and Why.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — August 28, 2022

August 28, 1833 is the anniversary of the abolishment of slavery throughout the British Empire.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 102 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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,
  4. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime low-cost training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool (a $189 value) and a WoodOx Sling (a $79.95 value), courtesy of LogOx, both made in USA.
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 102 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

 

Prepping With Inexpensive .22 Revolvers, by B.F.

I was organizing my gun safes, and realized that I had somehow accumulated five single-action .22 rimfire revolvers. I thought that a short article about them, how accurate or not they are, and whether or not various brands of ammunition make an accuracy difference might be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. To preview the conclusion, yes, if…

I’ll start with the latest acquisition first. I was at a gun show earlier this year, not intending to purchase anything, and ran across one of the latest offerings from Heritage Arms. Heritage has been making the Rough Rider .22 single-action revolver in the USA since 1992. For many years, they had one offering, A small frame copy (or replica) looking like the classic Colt Peacemaker, with a 6.5-inch barrel. I have owned one of these for around 25 years. More on that one later. Today, the offerings from Heritage have expanded quite a bit. They offer revolvers from one-inch to 16 inch barrels, birds head and standard plow handle grip frames. Fixed or adjustable sights, quite a few grip and finish options, and many other variations. They even have a really interesting Carbine version. I had told myself that I didn’t need another “cheap” Heritage revolver, even if they were pretty sharp looking. Then I found a threaded barrel, tactical model complete with Picatinny rail, and just had to find out if a suppressor would really work on a revolver. Spoiler Alert:  Not really.Continue reading“Prepping With Inexpensive .22 Revolvers, by B.F.”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:

But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,

In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings;

By pureness, by knowledge, by long suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned,

By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,

By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true;

As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;

As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged.

Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels.

Now for a recompence in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged.

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” – 2 Corinthians 6 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — August 27, 2022

Today is the birthday of Emory Upton (August 27, 1839 – March 15, 1881). He was a United States Army General and military strategist, prominent for his role in leading infantry to attack entrenched positions successfully at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House during the American Civil War, but he also excelled at artillery and cavalry assignments. His work, The Military Policy of the United States, which analyzed American military policies and practices and presented the first systematic examination of the nation’s military history, had a tremendous effect on the orgnaization and modernization of the U.S. Army when it was published posthumously in 1904. He has rightly been called “The father of the modern U.S. Army.”

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August 27, 1917 was the birthday of American gun designer Robert Hillberg, best known as the designer of the C.O.P. four-barrel derringer, Winchester’s Liberator shotguns, the graceful Whitney Wolverine, and the Wildey .44 Magnum gas-operated pistol. He died in 2012.

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Today we present a guest article by John Whitehead and Nisha Whitehead of The Rutherford Institute. It is reposted with permission.

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We are urgently seeling entries for Round 102 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 102 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Weaponizing the Bureaucracy: Who Will Protect Us?, by John and Nisha Whitehead

“A standing military force, with an overgrown Executive will not long be safe companions to liberty.”—James Madison

The IRS has stockpiled 4,500 guns and five million rounds of ammunition in recent years, including 621 shotguns, 539 long-barrel rifles and 15 submachine guns.

The Veterans Administration (VA) purchased 11 million rounds of ammunition (equivalent to 2,800 rounds for each of their officers), along with camouflage uniforms, riot helmets and shields, specialized image enhancement devices and tactical lighting.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) acquired 4 million rounds of ammunition, in addition to 1,300 guns, including five submachine guns and 189 automatic firearms for its Office of Inspector General.

According to an in-depth report on “The Militarization of the U.S. Executive Agencies,” the Social Security Administration secured 800,000 rounds of ammunition for their special agents, as well as armor and guns.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) owns 600 guns. And the Smithsonian now employs 620-armed “special agents.”

This is how it begins.

We have what the founders feared most: a “standing” or permanent army on American soil.

This de facto standing army is made up of weaponized, militarized, civilian forces which look like, dress like, and act like the military; are armed with guns, ammunition and military-style equipment; are authorized to make arrests; and are trained in military tactics.

Mind you, this de facto standing army of bureaucratic, administrative, non-military, paper-pushing, non-traditional law enforcement agencies may look and act like the military, but they are not the military.Continue reading“Weaponizing the Bureaucracy: Who Will Protect Us?, by John and Nisha Whitehead”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those –or excerpts thereof — in this column, in the Odds ‘n Sods Column, and in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

I had a quite unproductive week, working around the ranch, because of an injury. I had an accident while working on insulating our workshop. I blame this on fatigue and lack of attention. I was doing this work while exhausted following a long morning of cutting firewood. Whilst cutting a piece of 2-inch thick blue styrofoam board along a steel straightedge with a box cutter, my left hand slipped and I cut the tips off of two of my fingers — just the tips of my fingers, forward of the fingernails. This left flat, disc-shaped wounds. The larger one of these was 3/8ths of an inch in diameter.  This was not a serious injury, but painful. (And not likely one to be repeated. Experiences like this teach me to slow down and concentrate on my work.)

So my hand mobility will be limited for the next couple of weeks. Since I’m now limited to just minor chores, I will be concentrating on writing and editing for a while. The firewood project and the shop project will have to wait…

Now, over to Lily.Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.

Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us.

Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.

O Lord God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?

Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure.

Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves. 

Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.

Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.

Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land.

The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars.

She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river.

Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?

The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it.

Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine;

And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.

It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.

Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.

So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.

Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.” – Psalm 80 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — August 26, 2022

August 26, 1946 was the official release date of George Orwell’s pointedly satirical novel “Animal Farm.”

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August 26, 526, is the official anniversary of the invention of toilet paper by the Chinese. We celebrate this, though not because of its convenience. In fact, it has many shortcomings, some of which are described in the articles and letters of SurvivalBlog. Our celebration of it is primarily because we now have an official metric of just how hardcore of a prepper you are as well as a metric for just how economically unstable your country is.

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Today’s feature article is an update to a piece from the early days of the SurvivalBlog archives.

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We are still in need of articles for Round 102 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 102 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

The Ghillie Suit: The Ultimate in Camouflage (Updated)

Note:  This is an update to an article that I wrote for SurvivalBlog, back in September of 2005.  I found that many of the included links had expired, so I have updated them. I’ve also added some important details.

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Back in the 18th century, game wardens in Scotland were engaged in an occasionally deadly game of cat and mouse with poachers. These wardens–called “ghillies” in the local parlance of the day were experts in field craft. To catch a poacher was difficult, so the ghillies would cut tree or bush limbs and cover themselves with them as camouflage while laying in wait. This was laborious but worked well. Then a warden whose name is lost in history came up with a clever idea: A camouflage body suit that was made of shredded rags in dull earth-tone and foliage-toned colors. From any distance, the man wearing it resembled a bush, and could not be easily recognized. Thus was born the Ghillie Suit.

The first use of ghillie suits by military organizations recorded by historians was during WWI, when Scottish ghillies serving with Lord Lovat’s Scouts brought their camouflage suits with them for the fighting in the fields of France. The ghillies in the Lovat Scouts shared their expertise in stalking, long-range shooting, and camouflage, which spread to other British Commonwealth armies.

The modern ghillie suit, re-popularized in the late 20th century in the British and U.S. armies is now standard wear for sniper teams in most western armies. These modern ghillie suits use the same concept, providing four key attributes: they look like plant foliage, they occupy three dimensions (unlike camouflage printed cloth), they break up a soldier’s distinctive silhouette, and they muffle noise. There are two common designs:

  • A full ghillie suit, which is usually made by sewing ghillie garnish (typically strips/bundles of dyed burlap, jute, and/or hemp) to a set of green mechanic’s overalls or to a BDU shirt and trousers
  • A ghillie cape, which is draped over the head and shoulders like a poncho.

I prefer the latter, especially in warm climates. Both designs are almost always used in conjunction with a camouflage face veil and a boonie-type hat with similar ghillie material garnish.  Weapons can also be lightly festooned with ghillie garnish. Just be careful not to block your view of optics and/or impede operating a weapon’s action or impede changing magazines.  So most of the garnish should go on the barrel and on the sides and bottom of the buttstock. Use it very sparingly, elsewhere.Continue reading“The Ghillie Suit: The Ultimate in Camouflage (Updated)”