SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly column is a collection of short snippets: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

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Fox News: Top health official: New York treating polio case as ‘tip of the iceberg’.

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In the Stars & Stripes: One year after Afghanistan, spy agencies pivot toward China.

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Taiwan dominates the world’s supply of computer chips – no wonder the US is worried.

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SaraSue sent this snippet:

“I processed 40 pounds of tomatoes and 20 lbs of cucumbers that I purchased from the local Amish. Made a couple of pounds of soft cheese with fresh milk. The dairy cow was inseminated, but I may have just missed the “right time” and won’t know for 17 days after insemination. I’m learning to recognize her heat cycles. There is a new roof on the house now and while I didn’t appreciate the expense, I’m glad it’s done and won’t have to stress it for a very long time. I don’t think I’m going to be able to get a fall garden in. It’s been one maintenance issue after another including the Air Conditioning units. I finally faced the fact that I cannot manage this farm by myself, not that the realization will stop me. I’m in process of hiring more help that should be temporary, just to get the big things done. My dogs tore up the irrigation lines within a day of them being buried in the ground – not deep enough – so they’ll have to be re-done in a more permanent fashion. Unfortunately, I’m still hauling water out to the animals. A very exhausting few weeks. The political situation this past week sent me over the edge if I wasn’t already having fits. I continue to pray, prep, and remain calm. Amen.”

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Every act of a delegated authority, contrary to the tenor of the commission under which it is exercised, is void. No legislative act, therefore, contrary to the Constitution, can be valid. To deny this, would be to affirm, that the deputy is greater than his principal; that the servant is above his master; that the representatives of the people are superior to the people themselves; that men acting by virtue of powers, may do not only what their powers do not authorize, but what they forbid.” – Alexander Hamilton

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — August 16, 2022

On August 16th, 1841, President John Tyler vetoed a second attempt by Congress to re-establish the Bank of the United States. In response, angry supporters of the bank gathered outside the White House and burned an effigy of Tyler.

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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.

Alternative Ways to Source Food, by SaraSue

I was thinking how different my shopping habits are now than what they used to be. I used to go grocery shopping once a week, and didn’t think twice about running into a grocery store during the week for something I forgot or ran out of or needed for a new recipe. Now? I rarely go to a grocery store. Last year, I was popping in once every week or two just to grab a gallon of milk or a pound of bacon, but I don’t even do that anymore. Part of the reason is that I stocked up on pantry essentials last year and filled a large freezer with meats. Another reason is that I buy in bulk through Azure Standard – driving to a “drop point” once a month is not a big deal, but I don’t do that every month.

Having dairy cows eliminates the need to go out for dairy products. There’s the Farmers Market (ours is not very active), and most recently I started frequenting the Amish Market (packed with people!), which is about a 20-minute drive from where I live. My garden this summer mostly failed, but I got plenty of potatoes (now in cool storage totes) and squash (all dehydrated). All the pantries are packed, and I’m grateful because food shortages are real. I thought it might be helpful to others, who are concerned about grocery store “empty shelves”, if I shared my alternative ways to shop for food. In the long run, it’s cheaper and healthier.

Now, if you’ve noticed how the government and some private entities have purposefully crippled the supply chain, gobbled up farmland, manipulated the weather, promoted the idea that farm animals are bad for the environment, want you to eat lab-grown meat, and have been advertising the nutritional value of crickets and such, then you definitely need to find alternative ways to get food. The Powers That Be (TPTB) are determined to change the way we shop, eat, and live. In order to combat that and stick with all the good things the Lord has given us, it is imperative to find alternative ways of finding food. I, for one, am not going to eat the bugs or any gross thing grown in a lab (using very suspicious, immoral, and disgusting “cell lines”.)Continue reading“Alternative Ways to Source Food, by SaraSue”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, a special round-up of independently-owned retail businesses in the American Redoubt. These stores are great alternatives to the larger chain and “Big Box” stores.

Idaho

Hutton’s General Store, Harrison. A local landmark.

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Falls General Store, Saint Anthony. A combination drug store and hardware store.

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The Gathering Place is an Amish store and deli, just north of the Three Mile junction, near Bonners Ferry, Idaho.

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Bellevue General Store. A log furniture store that morphed into a general store.

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Olive’s Auto Parts & More, Orofino.  A traditional auto parts store that branched out into selling chainsaws, guns, gun parts, ammo, and reloading supplies.

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Elk City General Store, Elk City.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Show me that age and country where the rights and liberties of the people were placed on the sole chance of their rulers being good men, without a consequent loss of liberty?” – Patrick Henry

 

Preparedness Notes for Monday — August 15, 2022

James Fisher sent us an obituary of inventor Ken Young (pictured):

“Our dear old friend, mentor, and inventor of the SIEGE Belts and universal SIEGE Stove Cross-Members, Ken Young, passed away last week. He had been fighting cancer for over a year and had received the all-clear earlier this year, only to have it recently return. The second round of chemo proved to be too much for him and he went downhill quickly — alas a few hours before we made it to Sonora to see him one last time. Active and alert to the very end, just two days prior he had invited us up to work with him on a product he had been prototyping.

Ken was a remarkable person of many talents, mostly self-taught. He was a serial inventor and pioneer in the outdoor and survival products industry, having invented the world’s first sport sandal, the Alp Sandal, which at its peak was making around 36,000 pairs of sandals per year. After an arsonist burned his factory down many years ago and insurance covered only a fraction of the loss, he sold the business to his main rival Teva (a later entrant into the sport-sandal arena). For years afterward outdoors enthusiasts such as river-rafters would seek out Alp sandals for their superior support, and he had retained a small stock of sandals that he would part with at shows where we would exhibit the SIEGE STOVES. A few years ago, as an apparent strategic move to ward off him or others restarting production (his non-compete agreement had long expired), just before Ken’s patent (which they owned) on the sandals expired, Teva re-introduced the Alp sandal design with some contemporary updates.

Ken also invented the Avery-Dennison Flip-Back 360 Binder, which featured a hinged internal spine so that the cover can be folded back 360 deg. without pulling the rings and paper over to the side (making it possible to use the binders on one’s lap or a small desk — anywhere there is insufficient space to open it flat). He was a U.S. Navy veteran and expert in hand-to-hand combat weapons, with many unique creations inspired by his travels across some 44 different countries during his younger years. He was also an avid student of Austrian Economics and conservative political philosophy, having written over 600 pages on these subjects. He was a time-efficiency expert and master carpenter, having learned his craft working on wooden boats as a teenager in Long Island. As can be seen in this brief documentary on the custom motorhome he built, everything he put his mind to was designed and made with great attention to detail and craftsmanship. What struck me when reading the comments below the video was how many people were as impressed with Ken and his wise musings as they were with his beautifully-made motorhome.

He had the ability to create masterful designs that were also incredibly functional and durable. His adherence to “Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication” (variously attributed to Leonardo Da Vinci and other luminaries) infused his designs and the resulting products that we make at SIEGE Works — so much so that the stoves and belts are able to achieve exceptional performance and versatility while also incorporating extraordinary strength and durability, and being aesthetically pleasing.

Ken had so much more knowledge to pass on than he was able to, and will be greatly missed by his many friends and family. At SIEGE Works it is our hope that some of his skills and time-efficiency habits have rubbed off on us so that we can accomplish even a fraction of what he was able to in his exceptional life.”

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

CRKT Ramadi Knife, by Pat Cascio

As a knife designer myself, I know what goes into designing the “perfect” knife, be it a folder or a fixed blade. When you take a close look at many of the CRKT knives, you probably say “Gee, nothing special about this one…” Well, nothing could be further from the truth. A knife has to have a certain style, and it must perform as designed, and that is easier said than done.

I designed a specialized fixed blade fighting knife – a double-edge fighter…and my friend, Brian Wagner made the prototypes. Again, easier said than done. However, I had a lot of faith in Brian – I saw his many designs and I knew he was the man for the job – we were of one mind, as to what I wanted. After several prototypes, Brian had nailed my design. From start to finish, it was two years from start to finish to get the design on the market – through CRKT. They marketed it as the OC3.

I like big fixed blade knives, however, they aren’t always needed for some tasks at hand. So, we reach for a folder, and that will get the job done. However, a smaller fixed blade knife can usually get the job done better. Enter the Ramadi, designed by custom knife maker, Darrin William Sirois, out of Fayetteville, North Carolina. Sirois, is a former Green Beret, who retired with the rank of Sergeant Major – no small task to be sure. It is difficult to get this rank in the Special Forces, where promotions are notoriously slow.Continue reading“CRKT Ramadi Knife, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Mrs. Alaska’s Puddings

The following recipes for puddings are from Mrs. Alaska.  Her long-running blog is: Alaska Bush Life, Off-Road, Off-Grid.

Why buy boxed pudding mix with fake flavors when you can make this comfort food from scratch in just three minutes (really!) from common pantry ingredients that are superior. Enjoy it warm or cold, alone or with fresh fruit.

Once you make these simple puddings, I imagine that one can figure out how to make savory puddings, too, for example, with chicken broth, for people who are sick, or have toothaches, or have swallowing issues.

Chocolate pudding

Ingredients for one serving. Multiply, as desired:

1 cup milk (we use 2/3 water and 1/3 dry milk)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (if you use sweetened chocolate chips, decrease the sweetener)
1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar, honey, or other sweetener, to taste preference
2 TBS corn starch

Directions:
Mix the dry ingredients together in a cooking pot.
Turn on the stove to medium.
When warm, add the milk (or water).
Stir almost constantly once the liquid is hot, for 2-3 minutes.
It will thicken slightly when hot, and more when cold.

Vanilla pudding (or with berries, bananas, etc)

Because unsweetened cocoa is bitter, it requires more sweetener. Any other pudding recipe requires less sugar or honey.

Personally, I make straight vanilla pudding and then top with fresh fruit rather than cook the fruit into it. You choose.

The ingredient list for vanilla (or other pudding) is the same as above but obviously no cocoa and less sweet. Start with 2-3 TBS of sugar, honey, or another sweetener.
Add 1 tsp vanilla and stir. Taste. Adjust.

Savory Puddings

I admit: I have never made any of these. But when my mother was in the hospital, most of her foods were pureed into pudding-like consistencies. I use an immersion blender to smooth out split pea soup. Readers might like to practice making savory puddings with broth and soft veggies, before it is necessary.

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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 take a final look at the opportunity to stock up on 80%-complete receivers, in the United States. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

First up, a piece by Frank Holmes: Geopolitical Tensions Between the U.S. and China are Boosting Haven Demand for Gold.

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Gold Price Forecast: Valid Support Leads to $2,471 Target.

Economy & Finance:

Over at left-leaning Bloomberg: China’s Trade Surplus Hits Record But Slowdown Risks Remain.

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Here Are The Winners And Losers In The “Inflation Reduction Act”.

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Senate passes Democrats spending and tax bill after politically charged vote-a-rama.

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WND: 50 most radical policies in Democrats’ ‘Inflation Reduction Act‘.

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IRS pinky-promises 87,000 more employees won’t​ lead to more audits.

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Some more details: Biden’s IRS getting $80B from taxpayers to go after small businesses, Grover Norquist warns.

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The latest from John Phelan: The ‘Wage-Price’ Spiral Is a Symptom of Inflation, Not the Cause.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — August 14, 2022

Today is the birthday of British folk-rock singer Maddy Prior. Best known as the lead vocalist of Steeleye Span, her singing career has lasted more than 50 years, with both touring and session work. She was born August 14th, 1947.

August 14th, 1945 was Victory In Japan (“V-J”) Day.

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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.

Canning Tomato Sauce With a New Twist, by St. Funogas

I’m always on the lookout for new canning techniques and I enjoy experimenting as well. The method discussed here saves over half of the time and most of the propane is normally used to cook the tomato sauce. It’s also quick enough that it allows me to easily make three batches in a day.

With tomatoes being my largest canning crop and having doubled my production this year, this method is even more important to help me avoid spending 50+ hours canning tomatoes over a hot stove in record-breaking heat and drought this year. I should be drinking iced tea in my hammock and browsing through my SurvivalBlog archive stick, not wasting unnecessary time making tomato sauce the traditional way when there’s a quicker technique.

This article shows how to filter off the watery juice of the tomatoes before beginning to heat the puree for making sauce. With much of this liquid filtered off, the sauce is already at its prime thickness and needs only to be brought to a boil before being ladling into jars and processed in a canner. You’ll end up with the same number of quarts of tomato sauce as you normally would plus as an added bonus: that same amount of “poor-man’s” tomato juice.Continue reading“Canning Tomato Sauce With a New Twist, by St. Funogas”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:

Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.

And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.

Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.

Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;

Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,

To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.

But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;

How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.

These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.

But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

And of some have compassion, making a difference:

And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.” – Jude (KJV)