Recipe of the Week: Lily’s Maple Mint Fridge Pickles

The following simple recipe for Maple Mint Fridge Pickles is from Avalanche Lily. Note:  This is not a canning recipe.  It is meant for immediate use.  Storage life in the refrigerator is approximately one week.

Ingredients
  • Three to four medium-sized cucumbers — freshly-picked from the garden — sliced
  • Medium fresh onion, diced
  • One cup and a half of Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Three to four Tablespoons of Maple Syrup
  • Five large fresh Mint leaves, chopped fine
  • Pinch of mustard
  • One teaspoon of coriander seeds (leave them whole)
  • One teaspoon of fennel seeds (leave them whole)
  • Pinch of crushed clove
  • Salt, to taste
Directions

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and let it marinate in the refrigerator for several hours, and then serve.

You can add any other spice that you like with your pickles.  I did not have any Dill, otherwise I would have added it.

SERVING

Serve with anything you like to eat with pickles.

—

Do you have a well-tested 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 recipes, slow cooker recipes, and any recipes that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic shows global oil production. (Graphic courtesy of Econovis.com, via Reddit, using Energy Institute Data.)

The thumbnail image below is click-expandable.

 

 

 

—

Please send your graphic ideas to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Any graphics that you send must either be your own creation or uncopyrighted.

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Sean eternos los laureles,
que supimos conseguir.
Coronados de gloria vivamos
¡O juremos con gloria morir!
¡O juremos con gloria morir!”

In English:

May the laurels be eternal
that we were able to fetch
Let us live crowned in glory
Or let’s swear to die with glory!
Or let’s swear to die with glory!

– The last verse of the Argentine National Anthem

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — August 11, 2024

The Eiger Peak in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland was first summited on August 11, 1858, by an international trio: Christian Almer and Peter Bohren of Switzerland and Charles Barrington of Ireland.

—

On August 11, 1857, N. H. Wolfe and Company, the oldest flour and grain company in New York City, failed. This failure shook investor confidence and began a slow selloff in the market which continued into late August. Several other failures followed, and this cascaded into what was later called the Panic of 1857.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 114 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 Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. 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).
  3. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  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 gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. 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)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $900,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 114 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.

Basic Sewing: Cloning Clothes – Part 3 , by N.C.

(Continued from Part 2.  This concludes the article.)

Front And Back Seams
Figure 17

Now you have two separate pieces and each piece (left and right) has one completed French seam. You can pick front or back for the next seam, I will show with the back. To join them into a single 4-panel piece of cloth use the same French seam procedure. The only difference is to start at the top and only go down the sharp angle Figure 17.

 

Figure 18

Right sides out, pin from the waistband area down to the sharp angle. Sew with a running stitch. Flip the piece. Pin the piece. Sew with a backstitch. Flip the piece. You’re done and have a single long piece of cloth with four panels. It’s the same procedure as the longer explanation above, nothing really changes because of the curve. Figure 18 shows the second line of stitching and also shows the backside of the backstitch.

Continue reading“Basic Sewing: Cloning Clothes – Part 3 , by N.C.”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

Meme Text:

So, Which of These is Worse?

Driving Drunk, at 96 M.P.H. in a 55-Zone?

Or Deployed War Veteran Exaggeration?

Or Rivaling Commie Kammie, for Leftist Views?

News Links:

Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks!

Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provided that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.

 

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.

But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;

And charged them that they should not make him known:

That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,

Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.

He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.

A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.

And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.

Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.

And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?” – Matthew 12: 14-23 (KJV) 

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — August 10, 2024

On August 10, 1938, a state-record daytime high temperature 119°F (48°C) was recorded in Pendleton, Oregon.  Pictured is the Pendleton Post Office, earlier that same year.

—

On August 10th, 1984, Red Dawn, the first PG-13 rated movie, starring Patrick Swayze was released. The movie (the 1984 original, not the 2012 remake) is a favorite of both JWR and HJL. The movie embodies the independent, indomitable spirit that created this country.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 114 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 Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. 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).
  3. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  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 gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. 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)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $900,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 114 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.

Basic Sewing: Cloning Clothes – Part 2 , by N.C.

(Continued from Part 1.)

Figures 4 and 5 (below) show a little more of the process of tracing. Note that the shorts themselves are moving around a fair bit.

Figure 4

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 5

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 6

Figure 6 shows that using this method of keeping parallel to the seam you will wind up with a gap. That’s not a big deal. Extend the lines out and you’ll be done drafting the pattern. The little error here doesn’t matter. Extend the lines and you’ll be fine. Then cut the pieces out.Continue reading“Basic Sewing: Cloning Clothes – Part 2 , by N.C.”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both 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 the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

This week I’m leaving most of the column up to Lily, since I’m traveled to the Missoula, Montana gun show, where I have five tables. It is a long drive, but quite worthwhile since it is such a great show. I have more than 80 antique guns on my tables. If you are a SurvivalBlog reader and drop by, then let me know. I’m bringing some SurvivalBlog 2005-2023 archive waterproof USB sticks.  While the small supply lasts, I’ll be including one as a bonus with any purchase of $50 or more, to blog readers.

Now, Lily’s part of the report…Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And Moses told his father in law all that the Lord had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, and all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the Lord delivered them.

And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians.

And Jethro said, Blessed be the Lord, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.

Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them.

And Jethro, Moses’ father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses’ father in law before God.

And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening.

And when Moses’ father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even?

And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God:

When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws.

And Moses’ father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good.

Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.

Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God:

And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.” – Exodus 18:8-20 (KJV) 

Preparedness Notes for Friday — August 9, 2024

On August 9, 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte set sail for exile on Saint Helena island onboard the British ship the Northumberland.

—

August 9th, 1831 was the birthday of James Paris Lee (August 9, 1831 – February 24, 1904). He was a Scottish-Canadian and later American inventor and arms designer, best known for inventing the bolt action that led to the Lee-Metford and Lee-Enfield series of rifles.

—

I just heard that Seed for Security is running a stock-up sale. Their Colossal Pack is now priced at 25% off. This pack is a total of over 5 pounds of vegetable, herb, and grain seeds. All of these are open-pollinated and non-GMO. Included are their most popular collections: the Super Survival Pack, 4-Grain Collection, and Heirloom Herb Collection. Each Colossal Pack comes with full planting instructions and a 4-page Seed Saving Guide. This offer is for a limited time, so order soon.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 114 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 Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. 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).
  3. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  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 gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. 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)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $900,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 114 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.

Basic Sewing: Cloning Clothes – Part 1 , by N.C.

Being able to make your own clothing is an old-time skill that shouldn’t have been forgotten. Our forefathers made their own hunting shirts and buckskin leggings out in the wilderness but with modern cheap clothing few of us know how to make our own clothing anymore. I taught myself how to hand-sew garments and what I found is that it is an excellent project for intermittent spare time or for multitasking. It doesn’t tie up all your attention. You can make useful progress in 5 to 10 minutes. It’s easy to pick up and put down. You’re practicing a skill before you need it. And each step gets you closer to having a duplicate of that one great shirt or pair of shorts that fits just right. In this three-part article, I will show how to clone a pair of short pants.

I started looking into sewing because I found a perfect plaid button-up shirt. I love that shirt. Enough that even my Scottish genes said “Well, it’d be worth paying full price for that shirt” then I looked it up to get another and found it retailed for over $150. So, on the one hand, great find at the thrift shop. On the other hand….I ain’t paying 150 bucks for a shirt. Even at the rate my dollars are currently devaluing I can’t get over that sticker shock. So I started looking to clone it.

Here’s garment sewing in a nutshell: Sewing is essentially carpentry with cloth. You’re taking something flat (cloth or wood), cutting it, and assembling (joints or seams) into a 3-dimensional object (garment or wood project). Beginners worry about finding the perfect plan or pattern and perfectly measuring. More experienced practitioners look at the desired object and say “oh ok, he used blind dovetails there. These are the front panels, that’s decorative, that’s structural, I’ll extend that, I’ll shorten that… Yeah. I can make one of those sized for my living room”. It doesn’t take long before you have a good sense of how things come together, what you can free hand, what just needs to match, what’s close enough, what can be simplified, and what you want to complicate to achieve a specific goal.Continue reading“Basic Sewing: Cloning Clothes – Part 1 , by N.C.”

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. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, some troubling news from legendary investor Warren Buffett.

Precious Metals:

Early in the week, all of the precious metals went into a slump, along with base metals, and as better publicized, the stock markets.  I’m assuming the drop in the precious metals was in anticipation of lower industrial demand. That same day, Bitcoin was down 9.8%.  Obviously, there was a lot of cash needed muy pronto, for covering stock long options.  Dips like these are a good opportunity to increase your physical silver holdings. – JWR

o  o  o

Frank Holmes, at Gold-Eagle.com: Gold SWOT: China’s Gold Demand Has Cracked in the Face of Record-High Prices for the Precious Metal.

Economy & Finance:

Buffett Calls The Top: Berkshire Quietly Dumps Half Its Apple Shares Amid Unprecedented Selling Spree. JWR’s Comments:  I’ve concluded that Warren Buffett foresees Donald Trump getting a second term in office. BUT, he also foresees the elites crashing the economy and the stock markets in early 2025, to be able to point the finger of blame at Trump, calling him: “Another Herbert Hoover.”TM  I should mention that I’ve never seen Warren Buffett shift quite so heavily to cash. (A lot of that cash is now just parked in T-bills.) So he must be expecting an enormous market crash.

o  o  o

Crisis on Wall Street: Inside the Turbulent August 2024 Market Crash.

o  o  o

Selling from US volatility-linked funds may be drying up after $150 billion dump.

o  o  o

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Xi Jinping Turns China Into ‘Fortress Economy’ to Withstand External Shocks: Report.

o  o  o

From the leftists at Yahoo Finance: What a Kamala Harris Election Would Mean for the Economy Across the US.  JWR’s Comments:  In truth, we can expect a wrecked economy that will be mired in stagflation, a new round of regulation, globalist trade policies, and a confiscatory level of federal taxation.  Face it, folks: Kammie is a Commie.  To be more precise, she could best be described as a strident Maoist communist.  Her Senate voting record was even more extremely leftist than that of Bernie Sanders.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”