Should I Stay Or Should I Go Now?, by Kevin R. Berg

The title of this article is an echo of a song title, by The Clash. This essay is about how I will choose an area for further investigation before moving to the American Redoubt. This summer I will load the family into our RV for a trip through Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota. As we travel, we will all be looking out for the pluses and minuses of each area. I have already marked up a paper travel map of the route and we can make marks on the map to remind us later. When I make a long road trip I usually mount a HD camera on the dash to record the travels. In using the video log we can replay the trip in those areas that we like. In areas that spark our interest I will collect local papers and other information. I will pass through many National Parks and Monuments so as to make the trip more enjoyable for the family. We are looking forward to seeing Glacier, Yellowstone, and Mount Rushmore.

Toward the end of the article, I have compiled various links that can be referred to for more information.
I tend to lean towards making decisions based upon research of available data at hand. I will use a point system on a list of criteria items I mention in this article. Of course, there are other occasions where I jump first, but a move like this will require a little restraint on my part.Continue reading“Should I Stay Or Should I Go Now?, by Kevin R. Berg”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “JWR”. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. Today, we look at upcoming wheat shortages.

World Has Just Ten Weeks’ Worth of Wheat

World has just ten weeks’ worth of wheat left after Ukraine war. The article begins:

“The world has just 10 weeks’ worth of wheat stockpiled after Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine disrupted supplies from the “breadbasket of Europe”.

The UN has been warned that global wheat inventories have fallen to their lowest level since 2008 as food supplies are rocked by a “one-in-a-generation occurrence”.

Official government estimates put world wheat inventories at 33pc of annual consumption, but stocks may have slumped to as low as 20pc, according to agricultural data firm Gro Intelligence. It estimates that there are only 10 weeks of global wheat supply left in stockpiles.

Russia and Ukraine account for around a quarter of the world’s wheat exports and the West fears Mr Putin is trying to weaponise food supplies. Russia is on track for a strong wheat harvest this year, cementing Mr Putin’s control over the staple grain as bad weather spoils production in Europe and the US.”

Baby Formula Supply Flights

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Baby formula flights to relieve shortage to arrive this weekend.

U.S. Stops Controlled Burns Nationwide

H.L. sent this: U.S. stops controlled burns nationwide after New Mexico disaster.

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Require nothing unreasonable of your officers and men, but see that whatever is required be punctually complied with. Reward and punish every man according to his merit, without partiality or prejudice; hear his complaints; if well founded, redress them; if otherwise, discourage them, in order to prevent frivolous ones. Discourage vice in every shape, and impress upon the mind of every man, from the first to the lowest, the importance of the cause, and what it is they are contending for.”- George Washington

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — May 25, 2022

On May 25th, 1787, the Constitutional Convention convened in Philadelphia with George Washington presiding. The task of the peaceful overthrow of the new American government as it had been defined by the Articles of Confederation eventually led to the United States Constitution that is so abused today.

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Here are two new property listings over at our family’s SurvivalRealty.com spin-off:

Two 5 Acre Parcels near Puget Sound, Washington.

and, near Boise, Idaho: Totally Remodeled Cabin on 40 Acres.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 100 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 free 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.

—

More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 100 ends on May 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

 

Patio Herbs, Spices, Peppers, and Tomatoes – Part 2, by MonkeyMan

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.)

Thyme – unknown plants

About three years ago, while my son was in college for forestry he would bring me leftover plants from the horticulture department. The horticulture departments from the local schools around you are an untapped goldmine of inexpensive, quality grown plants of all types. I encourage you to explore the markets these departments put on each year. I have two different types of thyme. I do not know the history of the plants. They each have a different look and taste. The seeds from these plants are so small I just let them fall back into the pot. They are nice size small bushes and produce good quantities of dried thyme. I mix the two together; I have not yet explored having different types and quantities of each herb. I am more interested in replacing the herbs and spices we purchase from the store. I have yet to see any new volunteers from these plants; the bushes just keep growing after each yearly trim. No pests that I have noticed. Both plants were unprotected during the freeze and both plants made it through fine.

Oregano – purchased plants

The oregano plant is in a large pot north side of the house. It is in full shade, but does just fine. Every spring it puts out long shoots of leaves that I cut off and place in The Dryer. This is another plant that takes a long time to dry. Each fall it goes to seed and I loop the seed shoots to remain in the pot. As far as I can tell, this is the same plant I purchased and there have been no volunteers spring up. It dies off a little each year, but comes back strong. No pests that I have noticed. Unprotected during the freeze and died off, but came back stronger than ever. It will be a good year for oregano.

Tarragon – purchased plant

This plant, so far, acts the exact same way as the oregano plant. It is on the north side, it puts out long shoots of leaves that go into The Dryer. This plant makes very nice yellow flowers each fall which I direct back into the pot. There have been no volunteers, yet. This plant will die all the way back each winter, but new shoots come out of the root ball each spring. It is six years old. No pests that I have noticed. It was unprotected during the freeze and it completely died.Continue reading“Patio Herbs, Spices, Peppers, and Tomatoes – Part 2, by MonkeyMan”

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. We may select some longer e-mails for posting as separate letters.

o  o  o

Reader Joe M. wrote to ask:

“I’ve been a reader of your blog for at least 10 years. Thank you for all the knowledge and advice you’ve given us all over the years.

Assuming we are indeed headed into a recession, what advice would you give the average prepper to prepare for it and mitigate its impact? Personally, I am not interested in anything related to investing in stocks, bonds, crypto, etc. My question is more direct-action oriented. What would you physically DO to prepare: purchase tangibles, land, equipment, etc.? Learn certain skills? I’m not familiar with what a recession would look like for our country and communities, so anything you could advise would no doubt be of immense help to me and your regular readers.”

JWR’s Reply: To be ready for a deep and protracted recession or depression, I believe the most important thing that you can do is to make yourself recession-proof.  Two of the best ways to do so are: A.) Position yourself in a recession-proof job, and B.) Start a home-based business that will do well in a recession. The latter will be your fallback revenue stream, in case you lose your primary employment.
I’ve addressed this issue in several SurvivalBlog, starting back in 2009. See:

The last one of those linked articles is certainly dated, wherein I recommended a DVD rental or sales business. With the advent of online movie streaming technology,  DVDs are essentially dinosaurs.

These days, I’d recommend pursuing anything related to RV or camping trailer repair or refurbishing. One lucrative niche is doing RV phototovoltaic power system installation. There is a multi-billion dollar backlog of orders for new RVs and camping trailers from companies such as Winnebago and Airstream. That seemingly unquenchable demand, in turn, has created greater interest in getting used RVs and camping trailers roadworthy.

And, needless to say, also having savings and a deep larder will provide a cushion, in the event of unemployment or illness. Food storage is for more than just disasters! It can be relied upon, when a family’s breadwinner is out of work.

o  o  o

Several readers sent this news link: Michigan Couple Says Town Seized Their Building and Offered To Return It if They Bought Two Cars for Police.  JWR’s Comment: When I read things like this, it leads me to an axiomatic conclusion: The only difference between the institutions of “government” and “mafia” is the presence or absence of badges.

o  o  o

Destroying farms, golf courses, lawns – feral pigs causing $115 Million in damages each year in South Carolina, and it’s only going to get worse. (Our thanks to H.L. for sending that link.)

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“All courses of action are risky, so prudence is not in avoiding danger (it’s impossible), but calculating risk and acting decisively. Make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of sloth. Develop the strength to do bold things, not the strength to suffer.” – Niccolo Machiavelli

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — May 24, 2022

On May 24th, 1775, John Hancock was elected president of the Second Continental Congress. He is best known for his large signature on the Declaration of Independence, which he jested the British king could read “without his spectacles.”

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 100 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 free 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.

—

More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 100 ends on May 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

Patio Herbs, Spices, Peppers, and Tomatoes – Part 1, by MonkeyMan

Introduction

This is a collection of thoughts encompassing the last twenty years of slowly growing our patio garden of useful plants for our location northeast of Houston, Texas. We are located in Zone 9 that has long hot and humid summers, with maybe, a night or two each year below freezing. We sometimes cover or protect the pots or plants from freezing temperatures. Maybe the solar minimum will change all that, I don’t know. As all SurvivalBlog readers do, I will continually adapt and modify my approach for my location. I do not claim expertise on any of the topics below and the opinions are my opinions, not right or wrong, just opinions. We all know everyone has one.

Some of the plants are heirloom variety and we maintain seeds, cuttings, and roots to keep that variety going. Some are from the big box store and are used mainly for large quantities of produce; peppers, for example, seem to provide huge quantities from one small purchased plant, sometimes for multiple years. I hope to eventually replace all the non-heirloom with self-sustaining varieties. It seems to me that the heirloom varieties are more susceptible to pests and require greater care and produce less produce. Produce less produce, I like that!

We have a large food dehydrator, 15 x 15 inches with 9 trays. It sits on top of an upright freezer inside the house. I do not turn it on; I just place the plants and whatnot on the trays and let them dry naturally. It works very well with the AC going in the summer months and the cool lower humidity days in the winter months. The harvest is protected and the dried plants retain the color, and hopefully, the nutritional value of the live plants. We call it The Dryer.Continue reading“Patio Herbs, Spices, Peppers, and Tomatoes – Part 1, by MonkeyMan”

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 conservative Republican wins in the Idaho State Senate primary races. (See the Idaho section.)

Region-Wide

Douglas, Josephine Counties reject Greater Idaho proposal, Klamath gets on board. JWR’s Comments: Clearly, Douglas and Josephine counties have too many ex-Californian residents. The inevitable partition of Oregon will most likely see a line drawn between the state’s Wet Side and Dry Side. I was heartened to see Klamath County voters approve the planned partition. A large number of eastern counties have already voted for approval. I’m confident that many of the other Oregon rural counties will follow their example.

o  o  o

When is the Inland Northwest going to warm up?

o  o  o

Inland NW Race, Ride, & Event Guide 2022.

Idaho

Here are the returns from last week’s election: May 17, 2022 Idaho Election Results. JWR’s Comments: There was little headway in gaining against the entrenched RINOs in Idaho’s House of Representatives, and RINO Governor Brad Little was re-elected. But there were ate least seven wins in the Senate: Scott Herndon beat Sen. Jim Woodward, former Rep. Codi Galloway defeated Sen. Fred Martin, and Old Guard Senator Jim Patrick may have been defeated by genuine conservative Glenneda Zuiderveld — possibly by a margin of just 38 votes! (There will probably be a recount of those ballots.) Anti-tax crusader Phil Hart took an open seat, Ben Toews beat Tara Malek, and Chris Trakel defeated Greg Chaney. Assuming that these Republicans will prevail in the general election the Idaho State Senate will become even more solidly conservative and will be able to block any Democrat or RINO-sponsored big government legislation. Hooray!

o  o  o

Over at the Idaho Freedom Foundation web site: Conservatives came out on top in May 2022 primary election. Here is a quote:

“…people don’t realize what a monumentally successful night conservatives had in Idaho’s primary election on Tuesday. This one was one for the record books, and it could help usher in a new chapter in Idaho’s political history.

The Idaho Senate, commonly known for the last several years as “the place where conservative legislation goes to die,” will thankfully be a very different place in 2023. As many as a dozen conservative legislators will take their seats in the 35-member chamber following the results of the May Republican Primary.”

o  o  o

Tom in Alaska sent this: Horowitz: Idaho conservatives poised to remake legislature like never before.

o  o  o

Five-term Idaho attorney general loses in GOP primary battle.

o  o  o

A great essay describing Idaho culture, by Jeremy Egerer: What the Blue-State Left-Coasters Don’t Understand about Culture.

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

Preparedness Notes for Monday — May 23, 2022

May 23 is the birthday of George Lars Kellgren (born 1943 in Borås, Sweden), the founder and chief engineer of Kel-Tec. According to LeftistAgendaPedia: He designed many firearms earlier for Husqvarna and Swedish Interdynamics AB in Sweden. He moved to the US in 1979 and his original US designs were for Intratec and Grendel brand firearms. He founded Kel-Tec in 1991.

On this day in 1934 the outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were killed by a pair of deputized former Texas Rangers and assorted local police, near Gibbsland, Louisiana.

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

Wellco Military Boots, by Pat Cascio

One of the absolute best pieces of kit you can purchase is quality footwear that you can afford to buy. If you’re seriously into preparedness, and have any plans on bugging out – especially on-foot, then you need some really outstanding boots. I’m very particular when it comes to my footwear. I have been for most of life. I refuse to buy cheap Chinese-made knock-off boots. I don’t buy at the ten buck shoe store, nor any of the big or small box stores. While mainland China boots and shoes might look good, you’ll find out in very short order that they are junk – so you are wasting your money.

When our youngest daughter decided to join the US Army, out of college, we flat out told her that, it wasn’t “right” for her, but she joined just the same, and we were proud of her. She became a Combat Medic after basic training. When she first went into the military, they issued her everything she needed, including combat boots. Sadly, as in often the case, they didn’t take care when fitting her for boots. One pair was about half a size too small, and the other pair were literally two sizes too big – all the complaining in the world didn’t change anything. After completing Basic Combat Training (BCT), she went to her Advanced Individual Training (AIT) school ro become a Combat Medic, There, they had a lot of latitude on footwear. We mailed her a pair of Blackhawk desert tan combat boots and she loved them to death.

Sadly, here in the USA, you don’t usually find Blackhawk combat boots in smaller women’s sizes. And when we attempted to get her a second pair, they replied that they were out of stock for 6-12 weeks. We sent her a similar pair of boots, but they were not nearly as well-made as the Blackhawk boots were. She “made do”!Continue reading“Wellco Military Boots, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Mediterranean Chicken & Potatoes

The following recipe for Mediterranean Chicken & Potatoes is from reader Linda T. She notes:  “This has a nice lemony flavor. You’ll need an oven, a baking sheet with deep lip, and a garlic press.”

Ingredients
  • 3 lemons
  • 6 cloves garlic, pressed
  • 3 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
  • ⅓ cup plus 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
  • 3½- to 4-lb. whole chicken, cut into 6 to 8 pieces
  • 1 pound of smallish red potatoes, quartered
  • 1 large red onion, cut into ½-in. wedges
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt, divided
  • 1 pound Broccoli crowns, trimmed
  • 1 teaspoon )or less) of freshly ground black pepper
Directions
  1. Preheat your oven to 450°F.
  2. Squeeze juice from 2 lemons to equal ⅓ cup; add to a large bowl.
  3. Cut remaining lemon into wedges and add to bowl along with garlic, oregano, and ⅓ cup oil.
  4. Add chicken, spooning marinade over chicken; let sit for about 15 minutes.
  5. Toss together potatoes, onion, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon oil in a large bowl. Transfer to a large baking sheet with a lip.
  6. Roast until just beginning to brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
  7. Toss together the broccoli and the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a large bowl.
  8. Transfer to baking sheet with potatoes and toss to combine.
  9. With a fork or tongs, arrange the chicken mixture on a baking sheet in a single layer. (Just discard the marinade.)
  10. Season with pepper and the remaining 2 teaspoons of salt.
  11. Bake until chicken is cooked through and Broccolini is browned, about 30 minutes.
SERVING

This recipe serves six adults. Serve with a vegetable side dish.

STORAGE

Any leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 36 hours.

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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 the recent wild swings in the U.S. stock markets. (See the Equities section.)

Precious Metals:

U.S. dollar will keep gold price under pressure – VanEcK’s Foster and Casanova.

o  o  o

Market crash to last until 2024; Gold to hit $900 before a rebound – Harry Dent.

Economy & Finance:

Biden’s burdens grow: Sagging global economy adds to U.S. woes.

o  o  o

At Zero Hedge: Market Rout Extends With Futures Tumbling To Verge Of Bear Market.

o  o  o

Credit Bubble Bulletin – Doug Nolan (McAlvany Intelbrief.)

o  o  o

Treasuries Start New Norm Between Inflation And Recession Fears.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”