Eight Uncommon Canning Techniques, by St. Funogas

Many of us have been canning for so long that we still have the recipe for that T-rex stew we first canned while trying to figure out the mysteries of pressure canners. Others are just starting out on this fulfilling journey on the joys of home production and the uplifting feelings of self-reliance that come from home canning food for long-term storage that we raised and grew ourselves. I hope some of these techniques can help newbies and veterans alike in this year’s canning projects as you incorporate some of them into your own canning practices.

My family did some canning when I was growing up, mostly jam and home-grown peaches and apricots. Those were my first lessons and much of what I’ve learned about canning has come from personal experiences over the years. Some of my current techniques took far too long for me to figure out so I thought I’d pass a few of those along and perhaps save a little learning time for you.

The things discussed here are not typically mentioned in books and articles on canning. Some of them go counter to conventional “wisdom,” which is all too often based on what seems to be true instead of what’s actually true, including some pertaining to home canning. For this reason, I prefer to test things for myself whenever possible. In doing so, I’ve found that many things are correct, but many are not. Don’t be afraid to do the same and find out for yourself.Continue reading“Eight Uncommon Canning Techniques, by St. Funogas”

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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First, foremost, and for your immediate action on mitigation: Have you seen this bill, now undergoing markup, in congress? H.R. 1808. This is REALLY bad legislation: This ban is like a flashback to 1994, but even worse. It is patterned after California’s notoriously-bad semi-auto and magazine bans. Unlike the Federal 1994-2004 ban, it has NO sunset clause! It includes a ban on new 11+ round magazines, it would ban any semi-auto pistols with a threaded muzzle — even .22 rimfire pistols. It would also vaguely ban the production of any parts that make semi-autos shoot at a higher rate of fire — i.e. anything short of full auto, such as binary triggers, forced reset triggers, or even short-reset/match triggers. The bill’s text does NOT properly define “designed or functions to accelerate the rate of fire of a semiautomatic firearm”, so bans on parts would presumably be left up to the ATF. And, unlike the Federal 1994-2004 ban, this bill bans private transfers of grandfathered so-called “assault” guns. All of those would then have to be sold through FFLs, with a background check and a Form 4473 put on file.  This legislation is evil. It is aimed at disarming the citizenry of the guns that are most capable of repelling an invasion, or overthrowing a tyrant.

Markup of the bill is scheduled to begin in the House today. According to the Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC), Pelosi & Company are making moves behind closed doors to send H.R. 1808 to a House floor vote next week. This bill will surely sail through the House, but it might be stoppable in the U.S. Senate. Please contact your state’s two U.S. Senators and urge them to do everything in their power to stop the Senate version of this bill. (A Senate bill number has not yet been assigned.) Please urge them to filibuster it, but first add several “killer” amendments.

Some suggested killer amendments:

  • Adding the Hearing Protection Act, removing silencers/suppressors from the NFA.
  • Remove short-barreled rifles and shotguns from the NFA.
  • Implement nationwide reciprocity for concealed carry permits. (Under the Equal Protection clause — just like various drivers’ licenses are recognized in all 50 states, the territories, and DC.)
  • Reverse the Hughes Amendment to FOPA-’86, thereby re-opening the registry for new privately-owned machineguns.
  • Declare a 180-day registration amnesty for all NFA items, with no tax or just a $5 tax on each registration, during that amnesty.
  • Redefine the term “antique firearm” to be any gun or receiver more than 70 years old.

As a fallback, in the event that you hear that “compromise negotiations” are in progress on H.R. 1808 between the Democrats and the RINOs in the Senate, stock up HEAVILY on current configuration ARs —  with pistol grips and threaded muzzles. Also, buy up your lifetime supply of 11+ round magazines and links/belts. And, if it starts to look like the passage of this bill is a certainty, then expend some of your savings or even borrow money from within your family to buy additional ARs and full-capacity magazines for every gun that you own or that you plan to own! I fully expect magazines to triple in price, within a year, if this bill passes in both chambers of congress. Stack them deep!

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Indiana: ‘Good Samaritan’ with a gun stopped Greenwood Park Mall shooting, went against mall’s code of conduct JWR’s Comment:  With an average of less than 300 armed officers per 100,000 citizens, police can’t be everywhere to deter most crime and mass murderers. But a well-armed citizenry can be.

Here is a follow-up at ABC News: Police applaud armed citizen who killed 20-year-old mall shooter.

And some further analysis: Mall Shooting Outcome Devastates the Media Anti-Gun Crusade.

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Andre liked this thought-provoking essay: I Have Nothing To Hide.

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F.J. sent this: How Dangerous Are Flash Floods? Find Out in POV Footage From Capitol Reef NP.

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Reader C.O. recommended this piece, at Redoubt News: Dismantling the Constitution: Police No Longer Have to Honor the Right to Remain Silent.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Bad men cannot make good citizens. It is impossible that a nation of infidels or idolaters should be a nation of freemen. It is when a people forget God that tyrants forge their chains. A vitiated state of morals, a corrupted public conscience, is incompatible with freedom. No free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue; and by a frequent recurrence to fundamental principles. No free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue; and by a frequent recurrence to fundamental principles.” – Patrick Henry

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — July 19, 2022

July 19th is coincidentally the birthday of handgun designers Samuel Colt (born 1814) and Gaston Glock (born 1929).

On July 19, 1799: The Rosetta Stone was found by a French soldier serving under Napoleon.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 101 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 $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 101 ends on July 31st, 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.

Common Headaches in Austere Environments, by DocDogMom

Introductory Disclaimer: The following is not to be considered formal medical advice. Please consult your physician regarding proper diagnosis and treatment of headaches or any condition.

Headaches are some of the most common maladies that I treat in my healthcare practice. Without question, I expect these to increase even more during difficult times. I would like to offer a few tips regarding treatment of the most frequent types of headaches, in the event that your physician is not available.

Headaches of many types are typically triggered by factors such as dehydration, poor diet, overexertion, stress, illness, trauma, and sleep deprivation. This can interfere with a person’s level of functioning, including attention and concentration, problem-solving, endurance, and resilience. As such, a seemingly innocuous condition such as a headache can potentially put the well-being of an entire group in danger.

First off, there are many different types of headaches. The best treatment is determined once the proper diagnosis is confirmed. It is beyond the scope of this article to offer an overview of all headache types, which would take several volumes. I will focus on the most common types, which are easily recognized and treatable in austere environments.

Rebound headache. This is also known as medication overuse headache. This is a headache that occurs upon abrupt discontinuation of various substances, such as caffeine and over-the-counter pain relievers. In other words, those of us who are accustomed to drinking our daily cups of coffee or soda may have severe headaches once this is no longer available. It may also be seen in patients who use over-the-counter (OTC) headache medication daily for months on end. Contrary to what the pharmaceutical industry would like the public to believe, these medications are not intended for chronic use. They should be taken only a few days per week, or regularly if needed for a limited period of time, a few weeks at most. Fortunately, these types of headaches are temporary. It typically resolves on its own after days to a few weeks. Recognizing this, the time to treat this is now, prior to exposure to a stressful environment.Continue reading“Common Headaches in Austere Environments, by DocDogMom”

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, we focus on the 2022 fire season in the American Redoubt.   (See the Region-Wide section.)

Region-Wide

Update: Northern Rockies Geographical Area Summer Fire Season Outlook.

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And for the U.S. and Canada, as of July 12, 2022: North American Seasonal Fire Assessment and Outlook.

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Forest Service grazing decision irks environmental group. (A hat tip to H.L. for the link.)\

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Spokane policeman dies in Bonner County golf cart crash.

Idaho

Jury finds Post Falls gas station shooter guilty of multiple charges.

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Rafters left stranded by Wild River Shuttles on the Main and Middle Fork of the Salmon River.

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Idaho Falls holding mutton bustin’ qualifier ahead of War Bonnett Rodeo.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Every member of the State ought diligently to read and to study the constitution of his country and teach the rising generation to be free. By knowing their rights, they will sooner perceive when they are violated, and be the better prepared to defend and assert them.” – John Jay, First Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

Preparedness Notes for Monday — July 18, 2022

July 18th, 1954 was the birthday of Ricky Skaggs, an American country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, mandocaster, and banjo. He has been charming audiences since he was just a lad.

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I’ve had several readers inquire about the availability of our waterproof USB SurvivalBlog Archives sticks. We ran a sale on the small remainder of the 2005-2021 edition sticks on July 4th. Those sold out in just eight  hours. Be advised thet we won’t have any more available until February of 2023, when the planned 2005-2022 edition sticks become available. As usual, we will be adding to the already copious bonus content.

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Today we are posting a product review written by our Field Gear Editor Emeritus, Pat Cascio.

Prevail EMT Kit Pouch, by Pat Cascio

Back in another life, I worked as a Paramedic. This involved a number of different positions. As part of my training, I worked in a big city Emergency Room. I also worked for a doctor for a year, as his assistant. This was long before there was anything like a Physician’s Assistant (PA). I got a great education while working for the doctor – I assisted him in just about everything he did – including minor outpatient surgery, delivering babies, and everything you can possibly think of that took place in a medical practice. I also owned my own clinic for a year. Most of what we did were enlistment physicals for the Illinois National Guard. I also worked on an ambulance crew – caring for patients who had gunshot wounds, heart attacks, and more things I can count.

Back in the good ol’ days, we carried a pair of bandage scissors and a small pen light. We had a small pocket on our dark blue trousers for the scissors, and the penlight was carried in our shirt pocket. We had other medical instruments in the various supply boxes, as well.

Today we’re looking at the Prevail EMT pouch, with various medical instruments, to include, the pouch itself, a pair of scissors for cutting off clothing – something I did quite often. A pair of bandage scissors, a hemostat, a pair of tweezers for removing splinters, another pair of tweezers for other uses, and a penlight that you’ll use quite often. All of the instruments and the light are nestled in this nice black ballistic nylon pouch that you wear on your belt. This pouch has two loops, so it can be worn either high or low on the belt, depending on your preference.Continue reading“Prevail EMT Kit Pouch, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Summer Vegetable Harvest Soup

The following recipe for a Summer Vegetable Harvest Soup is from reader J.S.. This soup can be prepared in just half an hour.

Ingredients
  • 1 small onion, quartered and thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
  • 1 can (15-1/2 ounces) navy beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 cup diced peeled potato
  • 1/2 cup cut fresh green beans (2-inch long pieces)
  • 1 cup sliced zucchini
  • 1/2 cup chopped peeled tomato
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1/4 cup chopped celery leaves
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
Directions
  1. In a large saucepan, saute onion in oil until tender.
  2. Add the next eight ingredients.
  3. Bring to a boil.
  4. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
  5. Stir in the celery leaves and tomato paste.
  6. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

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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 look at continuing inflation and some implications of the falling price of copper.

Precious Metals:

We’ll lead off with this great piece from the Ann Barnhardt archives: WE ARE THE GOLD.

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Greyerz: Falling Gold Prices Explained.

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Video interview with Andrew Maguire:  Live From The Vault – The Day The Silver Market Broke.

Economy & Finance:

Kyle Bass: Bank runs are happening all over China.

“It’s important to note that the Chinese banking system represents 350% of Chinese GDP (on balance sheet) while the U.S. system is only 100%. One of the largest lending categories of Chinese banks is real estate…”

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Fox News: Severe recession needed to cool inflation, Bank of America analysts say.

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Several readers sent this link: Bonds Slump as Inflation Surge Fuels Bets on 100-Basis-Point Fed Rate Hike.

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Treasury Curve Inversion Deepens to Level Not Seen Since 2007. JWR’s Comments: Recession is here, folks. The officials haven’t yet announced it, but it is inevitable. The question for us now is: How deep will the recession be, and how long will it last? I’m now leaning toward it morphing into a full-blown decade-long depression. This will be needed to compensate for many years of malinvestment and artificially-low interest rates.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“A free people ought not only to be armed, but disciplined; to which end a uniform and well-digested plan is requisite; and their safety and interest require that they should promote such manufactories as tend to render them independent on others for essential, particularly for military, supplies.” – John Adams, speech to US Congress January 8, 1790

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — July 17, 2022

July 17th, 1889 was the birthdate of Erle Stanley Gardner. He was an American lawyer and author. Though best known for the Perry Mason series of detective stories, he wrote numerous other novels and shorter pieces, as well as a series of nonfiction books, mostly narrations of his travels through Baja California and other regions in Mexico.

The best-selling American author of the 20th century at the time of his death, Gardner also published under numerous pseudonyms, including A.A. Fair, Kyle Corning, Charles M. Green, Carleton Kendrake, Charles J. Kenny, Les Tillray, and Robert Parr.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 101 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 $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 101 ends on July 31st, 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.

Thinking About the Unthinkable, Again – Part 3, by 3AD Scout

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

Why do you need a survey meter and dosimeters?

A survey meter like the CDV 700 and CDV 715 will tell you what the current rate you are receiving is while the dosimeter will provide you with a total amount your body has absorbed. One of the other useful things you should print off and have handy is a dosimeter log for each person so you can keep track of exactly how much total radiation each person has received and the period of time they received the dose. This will be important to help decide what people to assign must do tasks when radiation levels are high but not dangerous for short periods of time such as taking garbage out of the shelter area or responding outside to a security threat.

I’m contaminated, now what?

So, you leave your shelter to respond to a security threat and you come back and one of your group members goes over you with a CDV-700 meter and finds you have contamination on your footwear and on your back. At this point let’s back up and look at PPE and procedures. If you or members of your family/group need to leave the shelter to go outside they should have PPE on. This will make things much easier when they come back and try to get back inside.

A Tyvek suit, boot covers, a respirator with hood, and gloves should standard when leaving the shelter area. Procedures should include a local where the returning person can be surveyed to see if they are contaminated, a place to decontaminate and a place to take off the PPE. Keep in mind you want your decontamination area to be away from your shelter area. An N95 mask can suffice but a good military or civilian full-face respirator (gas mask) with a hood will help keep fallout from getting into your hair will it will be more difficult to decontaminate. This is also another good reason to keep your hair cut short. Don’t have a Tyvek suit, use a raincoat with integrated hood. Add rolls of double-sided tape that can be used to make improvised “Sticky Mats” by placing strips of the double sided tape onto 2’x2’ pieces of cardboard. As people come back into get survey they step onto these sticky mats and any radiological material on the bottom of their footwear should be removed and stuck onto these mats.Continue reading“Thinking About the Unthinkable, Again – Part 3, by 3AD Scout”