Odds ‘n Sods:

From Cheryl N.: Dow is Heading for 10,000 “The markets can’t seem to get that the U.S. is in recession, says Kirby Daley, strategist at the Newedge Group. But a downward movement is inevitable. He tells CNBC’s Martin Soong and Amanda Drury to expect a 15% to 20% drop on the Dow in the near future.”

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David in Israel recommends The Pocket Chainsaw. “It is the smart answer to the flimsy wire saws found in many survival kits. This tool packed in a can the size of a roll of electrical tape is a 28 inch linked saw which when used with included plastic handles or looped to a bow of wood makes your light back country woodcutting a snap. I have been rough with this saw but I have kept it clean, sharp, and oiled, it has never let me down after over ten years of use several times a year.”

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Matt in Texas flagged this commentary from real estate and banking guru Mike Morgan: The World’s Grandest Ponzi Scheme Unravels

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Reader JT forwarded this: Companies Tap Pension Plans To Fund Executive Benefits

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Also from Cheryl N.: Hundreds of banks will fail, Roubini tells Barron’s

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The Wall Street crash doesn’t mean that there will be any general or serious business depression. For six years American business has been diverting a substantial part of its attention, its energies and its resources on the speculative game… Now that irrelevant, alien and hazardous adventure is over. Business has come home again, back to its job, providentially unscathed, sound in wind and limb, financially stronger than ever before.” – Business Week, November 2, 1929

Note from JWR:

I noticed that the spot prices of gold and silver took a substantial dip yesterday. I still consider this a secular bull market in precious metals. If you have your survival gear and supplies squared away, then you might want to take advantage of these dips, and buy yourself some silver coins. Keep these well-hidden at home for use as a bad times barter currency, and as a hedge against inflation. Given the declining purchasing power of the US Dollar, gold below $900 per ounce and and silver below $17 per ounce are bargains.

Letter Re: Physical Gold Versus Synthetic Gold, a View Redux

Dear Mr. Rawles:
You don’t seem to be the type of guy who enjoys saying “I told you so” when you are proven to be right, but I thought I’d at least give you that opportunity. Back in May, I wrote to you singing the praises of synthetic gold ownership via Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), and opined that “physical gold combines the worst of all worlds.”

I’ve since started building my long position in gold (and silver), and I surprised myself by deciding quite early on to hold physical metals rather than to express my long position synthetically. This was particularly surprising, because I am just barely of the view that an extreme economic collapse could be coming, and by both profession and education, our household is very knowledgeable about capital markets. We’re more or less optimistic about the future; I mean, we live in New York City, of all places!

Still, when I really thought about it, I concluded that physical gold was a superior asset for somebody looking to hedge a downside risk over the long-term (as opposed to actively trade a position). I thought your readers might benefit from hearing my logic.

First, the single biggest benefit of synthetic/ETF gold is that it can be bought and sold at low transaction costs. But when I thought about it, I realized that I was not looking to trade. If gold doubled this year, I would not sell; I would only wonder if my “worst case” investment thesis was coming to pass, and whether I should increase my position while there was still time. Similarly, if gold fell in half this year, I would not sell—it would be an opportunity for me to get longer at lower cost. When I thought about it, then, the “low transaction cost” rationale for ETF ownership, really wasn’t that much of an advantage. I want a 10% net worth position in physical metals, and I want to hold it long term as a hedge. Period, paragraph.

Second, it isn’t like purchasing physical gold is all that expensive. Krugerrands are widely available at about a 1% markup (spot + $10) if you live in a town where there are some reasonably large bullion dealers. And even if you don’t, you can always buy from a reputable internet dealer like Tulving, and pay perhaps 2-3% over spot, provided you are able to purchase five ounces or more at a time to amortize the shipping cost.

Third, even though you might pay more at the front end, if you plan to be a long-term holder of gold, you slowly recover this cost by avoiding the annual .40% expense ratio charged by ETFs. If you plan to hold five or more years, the up-front cost of physical purchase via the internet, is entirely offset by avoiding the recurring ETF expense ratios.

Fourth, ownership in an ETF provides significant regulatory and taxation risk. Under current law, capital gains on gold sales are taxed at 28%, and there are no limits on buying and selling. But who knows what might happen in a hyperinflationary environment? As most fiat currencies fail, the government attempts to stave off collapse by instituting “official” exchange rates, or limitations on currency conversions, to avoid a wholesale run on the currency. In order to have an effective currency control, it seems obvious that you also need to put controls on intermediate stores of value, such as gold. (Otherwise, you would just sell your de-valuing dollars and buy gold, and then subsequently swap into a stable asset).

Physical gold is much more difficult for the government to “control” (setting aside the somewhat paranoid “confiscation fantasies” of many gold bugs). Moreover, the asset is much more difficult to tax. I’m not advocating tax evasion in normal circumstances, but I could certainly imagine a situation where desperate times call for desperate measures. Perhaps the government is imposing confiscatory “wealth taxes” on financial assets, as former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich has proposed, and which some states like Florida had (until it was recently repealed); or perhaps high taxes are levied on gold profits in order to discourage ownership of gold, and impose a de facto currency control. Even my conventional imagination can dream up many dark scenarios.

Fifth, I hadn’t fully appreciated, until I thought about it, exactly how compact a form of wealth physical gold really is. At current prices, if you were buying one ounce Krugerrands, you could transport $1,000,000 with only about 1,100 coins. This amount of gold would fill around 44 coin rolls (of 25 Krugers each), and would weigh about 88 pounds. Easily cached, transported, even smuggled if necessary.

Sixth, when I looked into how secure ETFs were, I could never quite get comfortable that you actually owned, in a risk-free way, the gold backing the ETF. I’ve come to understand that the bullion banks that settle the world’s gold trades, have both “allocated” and “unallocated” accounts. With the former, your ownership of the gold is absolute—the gold is titled in your name, secured separately, etc. However, with unallocated accounts, your claim to the gold is merely an interest against a collateral pool which may or may not be adequate to cover all claims; this is particularly true because bullion banks apparently lend out gold from unallocated accounts, thus approximating fractional reserve banking! All of this was new to me. Granted, some of the sources I relied on were sort of gold-bugish, like this report, pp. 66-70 — but on the other hand, the report was well written and mostly well reasoned. Reading the iShares ETF prospectus didn’t clear up anything at all, except it established that GLD does in fact use both allocated and unallocated gold accounts. Since I couldn’t figure out one way or the other what the truth was for certain, it seemed that physical gold was just a safer course.

Seventh, I realized that it was in my best interest to gain expertise in “normal times” about how to source, authenticate, transport, and store physical gold. I’ve since spent many hours, developing relationships with local dealers, reading gold forums, investigating the reputation of online dealers, observing eBay auctions, sourcing gold through Craigslist, etc. I’ve also bought several different sets of instruments from Fisch Instrument (recommended on SurvivalBlog), a digital scale, a set of digital calipers, and a bullion reference guide. All of this knowledge should be valuable, if it ever looks like there will be a dollar run, and I want to try to build a large [precious metals] position fast. While others will have to research, I’ll have pre-existing relationships, multiple sources, and most of all, experience, that might give me an advantage over others.

Eighth, it turned out storage was really not a big deal. My local bank offers a nice sized safety deposit box free of charge, that is easily capable of storing several million dollars of gold. I’m comfortable leaving the asset there. Really, when you think about it, it seems just as safe behind a five ton steel door, as it does at some bullion bank in Zurich with god-knows-what institutional risks embedded like naked short gold positions, derivative counterparty exposure, etc.

These were basically my reasons for ending up with physical metal rather than synthetic ownership. Thanks for forcing me to challenge my earlier assumptions. – DC

Letter Re: Innovations in the Treatment of Obesity and Diabetes

Dear James,
Take a look at this article. The innovation of the second device which acts as an artificial barrier to the small intestine, described in this article, is noted to effectively cure Type II Diabetes. This may be the long-awaited answer for those who wish to remove themselves from the daily dependency of self administering antihyperglycemic medications. This could also be one very effective option
for the resolution of their coinciding carbohydrate intolerance which causes their obesity. This is a non-invasive endoscopic procedure. – KAF

Odds ‘n Sods:

I long hence went on record that the price of productive farm land in the U.S. would not be hurt as badly as residential and commercial real estate, in the current down-trend. A new Bloomberg article bolsters my position: U.S. Farmland Values Reach Record on High Crop Prices. Again, productive farm and ranch land is a relatively safe, tangible way to shelter your assets from the ravages of inflation.

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I often get e-mails from folks that are looking to join or form a retreat group, or that are interested in finding a like-minded spouse. Unfortunately, the two paid services that I’d heard good things about–Conservative Match and Liberty Mates–both seem to have gone out of business. I’m now recommending eHarmony.com, because of their high success rate. I just updated our Finding Like-Minded People in Your Area static web page, accordingly.

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Reader Tim L. suggested an article by the Austrian school economist George Reisman. It explains the dynamics of the current credit crisis and puts everything into context for understanding of the economic forces at work.

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Cheryl N. flagged this: Panicking Fed Scrambles to Hide Credit Crisis Truth

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Bill N. sent a link to a web site that describes how to make Biltong. (South African jerky.)

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Of course most people underestimate the warrior characteristics of the Anglo-Saxon and Norman peoples anyway. It takes a heap of piety to keep a Viking from wanting to go sack a city." – Jerry Pournelle, in a reply to reader e-mail, in Chaos Manor Mail # 141, February 19-25, 2001

Letter Re: Retreat Region Demographics and TEOTWAWKI

Hi James,
Thanks much for the exceptional information you provide. Your book “Patriots” and your site have been tremendously helpful in my preparation efforts. I’m not there yet, but well on the way.
As far as a retreat location goes, I’ve heard you and others cautioning folks away from poorer areas. I think you might want to re-think this somewhat, and for one simple reason: Poor folks are already used to doing without.

Consider two post-TEOTWAWKI scenarios:

One, an affluent or even typically middle class family suddenly has little food in their pantry and no grocery store from which to stock up, no restaurants open, no gas to put in the BMW, no X-Box to play or HDTV to watch, and no mall to go to. Their credit cards no longer work, and the personal “connections” they’re used to being able to make use of to get what they need are no longer available. Used to being self-contained (which is different than being self-sufficient), they may not have meaningful relationships with their immediate neighbours.

Two, a poorer or lower-middle class family, already used to partially getting by on their homestead garden, the basics of life, a 20-year old beater of a vehicle or none at all, and none of the unnecessary trinkets of modern city life. They have no credit cards to begin with, and are accustomed to working on a limited cash basis, even bartering with neighbors. Poorer country folks in particular are used to being relatively self-sufficient out of sheer necessity, and often have a strong sense of defending what is theirs and the means and willingness to do so while remaining willing to help friends and family in times of need.

In short, I see the first family rapidly shifting into freak-out mode, resorting to whatever daddy thinks necessary in order to make a flailing attempt to continue their prior lifestyle. As you rightfully say, civilization is but a thin veneer.

I see the second family getting by with far fewer and less lifestyle-shattering modifications.
Do any SurvivalBlog readers have thoughts on this? – CH

Section 13(3), Rule 1830, Rule 308, and Naivete

The news headlines have been packed with economic Gloom and Doom, in recent weeks. To many observers, things seem to be spinning out of control–with collapsing credit markets, massive bailouts, emergency cash infusions, and taxpayer “stimulus” checks descending like Manna from Heaven. Given all this news, it is timely to discuss three rules: Section 13(3), Rule 1830, and Rule 308.

Section 13(3)

Section 13(3) of the Federal Reserve Act (of 1932) empowers the Federal Reserve banking cartel the power to lend to any corporation or to any individual using any collateral. The only proviso is that the Fed must declare that this lending is necessary for “unusual and exigent circumstances.” Recently, trying their best to counteract the global credit collapse, the Fed has frantically handed out cash at an alarming rate. Since February of 2008, I’ve been warning you about the “Non-Borrowed Reserves” figure at the Federal Reserve web site. Bank reserves are plummeting deep into negative numbers. As I’ve mentioned before, when you look at the US banking industry in aggregate numbers, there are effectively no genuine reserves left. If the average bank depositor was aware of this, then there would already be huge bank runs in progress. But the Generally Dumb Public (GDP), is still largely ignorant, and continues to be lulled into a sense of complacency by their long-standing universal depositor’s insurance that is backed by “the full faith and credit” of the US government.

Rule 1830

At 6:30 p.m. (1830) on Friday evening, this story was released the news wires: Florida Bank Closed by FDIC. This was the eighth reported US bank closure in 2008. Hmmm.. This is not the first time that the FDIC waited until after business hours on a Friday evening to make an announcement of a bank closure, to minimize mass media attention. So I guess I’ll have to add a new new Rule to my list: Rule 1830. To minimize any ruffled feathers, The Powers That Be will wait until 1830 on Fridays to issue any “bad news” press releases. It will be interesting to see how the Federal bank regulators try to spin the news stories about any more extensive bank runs. As I’ve written in before: they are coming!

Rule 308

What will happen if the economy tanks, plunging the western World into an extended economic depression? If the Schumer hits the fan, you may have to implement Rule 308. What rule is this? Rule 308 not a rule at all, but rather an informal collective understanding that if times get truly Schumeresque (times when law and order evaporate), you may have to handle your own law enforcement, with a rifle in hands. Hence, the number 308–which refers to .308 Winchester. (Also known as “Rule 303” in British Commonwealth countries, as popularized in the movie Breaker Morant–referring to the.303 British cartridge.)

Naivete

In my three years of correspondence with hundreds of SurvivalBlog readers, I’ve encountered a few people that seem to be in denial of Rule 308. Most of them are either pacifists or they are naively confident in the ability of their local police or sheriff’s deputies to faithfully arrive on their doorstep, just a few minutes after being summoned, ready to arrest and haul off any marauding goblins. Most recently The New York Times article that featured some Suburban Survivalists. One of them mentioned to the reporter that she didn’t own a gun, because she didn’t “want to shoot anyone.” I don’t want to shoot anyone either, but I’ve if I’m ever forced into inimical circumstances, I’ve made the option of self defense available to myself and to the members of my family. I’ve done so by buying plenty of guns and ammo, and by taking the best training available (at Front Sight), and by practicing regularly. I refuse to be just another helpless victim. I certainly won’t eschew the means of self defense, as some others have done. There are far too many people that assume that someone else can handle such tasks for them, regardless of circumstances. This is the same sort of naivete that I was talking about near the end of my recent interview with Alternet. How can people be so incredibly naive?

Even in normal times, the police have a spotty record of rapid response. More often that not, a violent crime is over and the criminals have departed the scene by the time that the police arrive. Sadly, the police end up just filling out paperwork and body bags, post facto. It goes against all reason and common sense to expect that in a disaster situation that the police will arrive even the same day, and even that is assuming that there is still a functioning telephone network. Other folks somehow expect that the goblins will pass them by, just because they themselves are somehow special and enlightened beings. That is hogwash. Dennis Wholey, a television host and producer, said it best: “Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is a little like expecting the bull not to attack you because you are a vegetarian.”

Four Letters Re: Vision Care, Post-TEOTWAWKI

Hi Jim,
Acting on a recommendation from another reader, I’m happy to report that quality of the six pairs of eyeglasses purchased from Zennio Optical are good. These glasses are surprisingly inexpensive and only cost $150 for all six pairs, which is less than the typical cost of one pair [from most other sources]. The ordering process does require some thought and time to measure your current pair, yet a variety styles and sizes can be ordered insuring that at least one pair will be satisfactory. I’m happy with all six pairs and at those prices felt bold enough to order a pair of which can easily be worn inside goggles. Ask your optometrist to provide you with your pupilary distance (PD) at the time of the examination. In a pinch, even an old prescription could be used as it is not verified by the company. – EL, somewhere in Montana

Jim,
From your posting from today (August 1st), my optometrist always advises me to keep my old pair of prescription glasses as a spare in case the new one breaks. I keep my last three most recent pairs of glasses (one in my car, two in the house) for emergencies. In a TEOTWAWKI situation, having a two or three-year old pair of glasses is better than having none (besides, you have already paid for them). I donate older pairs of glasses to a local charity (always keeping the three most recent pairs). – David M.

 

Mr. Rawles,
Took a dig into your own archives, and came up with this letter. I remembered seeing the adjustable eyeglasses on the Discovery channel a while ago, and that post was the first Google hit when I searched “adjustable glasses Africa”. The web page indicates that they normally only sell in bulk, but I shot them an e-mail to see if I could get a sample pair or five, for a nominal fee, of course… – Aaron in Florida

 

JWR,
A few notes regarding vision care etc. (I am an optometrist). Not sure if this is worth posting or not, you won’t hurt my feelings if you don’t:

Buying lot of contact lenses to stock up is a good idea if you are worried about SHTF scenarios. However stretching your wearing time in order to make them last longer, such as wearing monthly lenses for three months, is not a good idea. I have seen numerous cases of bacterial conjunctivitis, and almost always it is because people have worn their contact lenses longer than directed or slept in contact lenses they should not sleep in. Note that many eye care centers will not allow you to stock up on extra contact lenses because that is the way some people try to avoid yearly eye exams (i.e. buy three years of contact lenses and then see the optometrist every 3 years rather than every year). Another problem with stocking up on contact lenses is that your prescription may change, and you may be stuck with contact lenses that are less than perfect for you–although, in a SHTF world they would be ok. So weigh your options and priorities.

Regarding glasses: safety glasses are truly a notch up as far as durability. To be called “Safety Glasses” they must pass ANSI Z87.1 standards, which calls for both tougher frames and lenses. They are about the same cost as regular glasses, but they are both heavier and stronger. The lenses must withstand greater forces, and are therefore thicker at their thinnest point. So, if you are worried about your glasses “holding up” in a post-SHTF world, you may want to have a pair of safety glasses. Again, the primary problem would be if your Rx changes.

Another consideration is the scratch protection your lens offers. I have seen lenses from Sears and WalMart that are one year old and scratched so much you can barely see through them. If you are worried about a SHTF scenario, I would recommend a high-quality scratch coating. At our office we sell TD2, and it is fantastic; I am sure there are other offerings at other places. You generally get what you pay for.

Lasik and photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) are also good options (as already noted); like the country doctor, I am biased towards PRK and in fact steer my patients away from Lasik due to flap complications.

In regards to overall eye-health issues (both pre- and post-SHTF), I would add the following top two tips: (1) Listen to your body. If you are a contact lens wearer and your eye(s) is (are) bothering you, get your contact lenses out! The worst infections come with the story, “Well, I knew there was a problem, but I had a basketball game, so I couldn’t wear my glasses!” or something similar. So make sure you have at LEAST one pair of backup glasses, and use them immediately if your eyes do not “like” the feeling of your contact lenses. Of course if problems persist see your local optometrist. (2) Wear safety glasses, preferably with side shields, anytime you cut, hammer, split wood, ride a motorcycle, etc.
Hope this helps, – Country Eye Doctor

Odds ‘n Sods:

Mark mentioned a Makezine piece about a bicycle powered refrigerator.

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Desert T. found us this: Southern Nevada Economy: Analysts’ projections sour. The last quote of the article sums it up: “More and more economists seem to think that this recession we’re in is going to be a long and painful one,” Smith said. “How long it lasts depends on the credit situation. We’re in the hands of the banks.”

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David S. found a link to an interesting water purification device

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J. T. sent a reminder about a site that we’ve mentioned before: a Global Infectious Disease Alert Map. There is a good write-up of the site at Computerworld.

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J.S. told us that there was a good article recently posted The Oil Drum site, discussing the financial aspects of Peak Oil.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The more the government is allowed to do in taking over and running the economy, the deeper the depression gets and the longer it lasts. That was the story of the [19]30s and the early [19]40s, and the same mistakes are likely to be made again if we do not wake up.” – Congressman Ron Paul, from The Crisis Is Upon Us

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 18 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The contest prizes include:

First Prize: The writer of the best contributed article in the next 60 days will be awarded two transferable Front Sight  “Gray” Four Day Training Course Certificates. This is an up to $4,000 value!
Second Prize: A three day course certificate from OnPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses.
Third Prize: A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing

Round 18 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entries. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

The Summer Kitchen, by Boltlady

Reality set in when I received a copy of JWR’s novel “Patriots” from my sister. I was hooked. I could see not only the possibility, but the likelihood of what could happen. The sheer realization of how pitifully unprepared I was for any type of disaster launched me into high gear. I organized the bug-out-bags, bought the camo & the ammo, and stocked an emergency medical kit. You know the drill.
But now that the basic preparations are in place and the panic has subsided, my thoughts have turned to the retreat. What does happen when the world as we know it comes to an end? When there is no electricity and those without solar-power are long-term without any power? Well, when the MREs are long since gone and retreat life has become…well, life…, I envision spending time in my summer kitchen.

The concept of the summer kitchen literally dates back a thousand years, yet these practical outdoor kitchens are still used today all over the world. Its purpose historically was quite simple – prepare food during warmer seasons without heating up (or burning down) the house. However, for a retreat setting, you could benefit greatly by expanding its duties.

Drawing upon a number of these older ideas and uses, this new summer kitchen goes well beyond the original ‘cook-only’ area, to a multi-purpose building that includes a smokehouse, a root-cellar, and a wood shed. Because of the strategic importance of the kitchen, this should be one of the first structures built in a retreat. While our family is still praying and saving for our retreat property, the limited population in the area where we would like to buy suggests that we will purchase land without any existing buildings. Given the versatility of the Summer Kitchen, we could easily sustain ‘camp’ with it on weekends while working on the rest of the property.

Whether you’re building on a distant site, or adjacent to your existing home, careful consideration should be given to the positioning of your summer kitchen. Choose a site that will allow a cool summer breeze to pass through the kitchen, as well as carry away any smoke from the cook-stove.

The design I have determined to be best for my summer kitchen is a three-part building. The center section, which houses the kitchen facilities, is approximately 20’L x 15’W, and is flanked on the right and left by a pair of 6’ x 8’ rooms. The three sections share a common wall at the back, with the pitched (gable) roof-line over the center section rising about a foot higher than those of the end rooms. Buried directly beneath the main kitchen lies the root-cellar. The balance and form of the structure lends itself well to the retreat setting. Click here to see a drawing of this floor plan.

Materials for your Summer Kitchen should be chosen based on function – not style. Although it is often easier to scavenge wood materials, I have chosen to build my summer kitchen primarily out of masonry block. For me, masonry materials are not only durable, but simple to maintain. (Note: If you have a block manufacturing plant in your area, try contacting the manager to inquire what they do with the seconds – that is the less than perfect, but still perfectly usable blocks. You may be able to purchase these at a reduced price.)

The roof-line, composed of stout 2” x 6” trusses, rests upon the block walls. Here in the Northwest, a metal roof is a must. Metal works well to shed the often heavy snow-load in winter, and reduces the risk posed by forest fires during dry, summer months. Topping off the roof of the summer kitchen is a small cupola. While the cupola may appear as an unnecessary extravagance, its true function is realized through added ventilation of heat and smoke.

Let’s take a virtual tour. You enter through symmetrically located, 36” doors on either the front left or front right quarters of the kitchen. The large doors provide smooth access even when carrying a sizable load. Running along the entire length of the front wall, between the doors, is a 28” deep counter top. All the counter tops in the Summer Kitchen are concrete. When poured and polished, concrete counter tops are incredibly durable, surprisingly attractive, and affordable if you do it yourself. The cupboards below store pots and pans, dishes, and canning supplies.

At the far end of the counter, near the left-side door, there is a dumb waiter. This pulley-driven, counter-weighted, mini elevator lifts or lowers your canned goods, and other finished products, to and from the root-cellar for easy storage. The box, (a 32” square, 36” high) which resembles a cupboard itself, has a load capacity of 100 pounds, and is manually operated by a handle on the side.

As you step through the right side door, just to your right is a wrap-around, 28” deep counter extending to the back wall and then left approximately ten feet. Centered in the counter along the back wall is a deep, stainless steel, double sink. The sink utilizes a high arching faucet that swivels flush against the wall allowing easy access for even the largest items.

Food preparation and clean-up require an adequate water source. The water supply to the sink can be provided for in several ways. Options include gravity-fed plumbing from an external water source, or from a 55-gallon drum on a stand outside the back wall. It may even be possible to mount the tank in the rafters above the kitchen. Since the water tank is filled using a hand-crank transfer pump, the positioning of the tank is quite flexible. Hot water may also be achieved by plumbing a line from the reservoir on the wood-burning stove.

Beyond the end of the counter, in the back left corner of the main room, is the heart of the kitchen – the wood cook-stove. It is coved in masonry block to reduce the space required between it and the walls while minimizing fire hazard. (You should always follow recommended clearances when fitting your stove.)

For those of us who follow recipes with instructions like “bake at 350 degreesÀö” or “simmer over medium-heat”, cooking with wood-heat may prove to be a challenge. For this reason your choice of cook-stove is vital. One of the best stoves for a summer kitchen is the ‘Pioneer Maid’ wood burning stove available at Lehmans.com. (Situated in Amish country, Lehman’s is a fantastic resource for functional, non-electric items.) This stove is not some dainty, long-legged beauty meant to invoke nostalgic memories of yesteryear. This is the workhorse of Amish country cook-stoves. With its oversized, temperature-controlled wood box, an eleven gallon reservoir, warming oven, enameled cook-top and oven lining, and more than half of its weight made up of stainless steel, it will be the hardest worker you have come canning season. With all its amenities, yet high price, a frugal builder may spend more on this stove than the entire structure.

In the center of the kitchen you will find my beloved want-ad find – my 36” square, maple butcher’s block. This serves as the perfect prep counter. It is well-suited for butchering small livestock or dressing out an elk. For the retreat setting, or even your local gardening co-op, you should prepare for a ‘canning party’ of six or more people. By forming an assembly line of friends to complete large tasks, mundane retreat chores should become much more bearable.

Next, there are the adjacent rooms. The room to the left, nearest the stove, is firewood storage. A large sliding door gives easy access when putting up wood. It will hold two to three cords of wood, cut and stacked. When the time comes to fire-up the cook-stove, wood can be transferred to a small rack just inside the left side door of the summer kitchen.

And on the right, we have a smokehouse, in perfect company with our kitchen. When you enter the smokehouse through the insulated, sheet metal lined door, you find that the interior is very simple; a concrete slab floor with a smoke pipe in the middle, a removable workbench, a barrel of salt, and several adjustable hangers overhead. Multiple vents are designed into the soffits surrounding the smoke house. Extending four feet further right, and connected by a 6” concrete pipe, you have a 30” x 36” firebox lined with firebricks. A 24” diameter tapered concrete plug forms the lid, which forces the smoke up the pipe and into the smokehouse.

Finally, on the backside of the building you will find the access door leading down to the root cellar. The concrete stairs land in the middle of the room. One side of the cellar has a poured concrete floor. The other side remains open to the earth and is then covered with 6” of gravel. The exposed area lends coolness to the room. Along the block walls, lining the concrete foundation stands ample shelving for canned goods.

While I have included here a general idea of the design for my root cellar, the subject of root cellaring would easily fill a book. Many things must be taken into consideration regarding your particular location. Humidity, temperature, ventilation, annual rainfall, ground water, and the types of products to be stored, are all factors that influence the type of root cellar that would be best for you.

Like any aspect of preparedness, if you do not plan ahead, the logistics could be anywhere from difficult to impossible. So if you already have a retreat, I suggest building a summer kitchen. Equip it. Practice in it. Enjoy it. When you remember that God provides you with everything you need, self-sufficiency is a truly fulfilling journey.

Two Letters Re: Advice on Versatile Pasture Fencing

Jim:
Having raised cattle most of my life, I would agree with your recommendation [posted on July 30th] of the woven wire fence, with one exception.

Woven wire fence will turn most types of large livestock. However, if you are fencing tough ground, i.e., extreme hills, swamp areas, areas where fence will be run through woods, etc., and the pasture will be somewhat limited in acreage (as opposed to fencing wide open areas out in the western U.S.) then I recommend using 16 foot long, 10 line, 4 gauge cattle panels. Yes, they will cost more. However, if a tree falls on a woven wire fence—you have a mess. (I have been there and done that.) If it falls on a cattle panel, you pull it out, put in a spare, and use the damaged panel for some other purpose around the farm.

We have used these panels with bison, cattle, horses, and some sheep. They last. Plus, it is quick to put up and quick to take down—use plastic zip ties to attach panel to post and you can have an area temporarily fenced in hours, not days. Here is a link to one of the many stores that carry them. Thanks, – “Straightblast”

 

Mr. & Mrs. Rawles:
When I read your reply about fencing and gates, I thought about the difficulty that I had when I tried to determine if cattle guards would keep sheep in. I could get no affirmative answer from anyone, but I went ahead and installed them. So just in case the subject ever comes up, they do indeed work. In fact, you cannot entice the [flock] leader with food or drag him towards one, so they are smarter than some may think. – Brock