The Solar Clothes Dryer, by St. Funogas

I know, you were expecting some sort of a solar box that held heat in for drying your clothes, perhaps even with a squirrel-powered tumbler to make the clothes come out fluffier, so my apologies. I had planned on making one of those to go along with my solar panels, solar food dryer, solar beeswax melter, and solar water heater among others.

While waiting to build my solar dryer I used the old-fashioned kind my mother, grandmothers, and everyone has used since rope was invented. By the time I was ready to build a box-type solar dryer, I discovered the rope one was working 51 weeks of the year and had some advantages of its own so I decided to stick with it.

Your second thought is, “How can there be a whole article on something as basic as hanging clothes?” It seems pretty simple, string a line and hang clothes on it right? But there’s a lot more to it than that and since most of us are accustomed to electric clothes dryers and are far removed from the old-fashioned kind, it’s something easily overlooked when prepping. Here are a few thoughts for our preps, those trying to live a self-reliant lifestyle as well as those who realize that electric dryers won’t be working too well if the grid goes down for a long time.

See my article on a Amish-style clothes washer so if you bookmark both of these on your SurvivalBlog archive stick, you can have a complete post-TEOTWAWKI washer and dryer set when your Maytag pair gets relegated to holding targets on the shooting range.Continue reading“The Solar Clothes Dryer, 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. We may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

Cody Wilson Thwarts Another Attempt To Stop Ghost Guns.

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Reader Doug C. suggested this: Tucker Carlson on Elon Musk’s bid to buy out Twitter.

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Tim J. recommended this video from “southernprepper1”: Night Vision PVS14…Most important combat multiplier for the prepper.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Let me be clear, inflation is a tax, and today’s historic inflation data tells another chilling story about how these taxes on Americans are completely out of control. Hard-earned wages and financial savings are disappearing faster every month as prices continue to climb, while the pain and frustration of spending more on everyday items linger over us all, especially among those who can afford it the least. Americans are seeing some of the largest increases in goods such as gas up 48%, beef up 16%, chicken and milk up 13%, and staples like coffee and eggs are up 11%.

When will this end? It is a disservice to the American people to act as if inflation is a new phenomenon. The Federal Reserve and the Administration failed to act fast enough, and today’s data is a snapshot in time of the consequences being felt across the country. Instead of acting boldly, our elected leaders and the Federal Reserve continue to respond with half-measures and rhetorical failures searching for where to lay the blame. The American people deserve the truth about why record inflation is happening and what must be done to control it.

Here is the truth, we cannot spend our way to a balanced, healthy economy and continue adding to our $30 trillion national debt. Getting inflation under control will require more aggressive action by a Federal Reserve that waited too long to act. It demands the Administration and Congress, Democrats and Republicans alike, support an all-the-above energy policy because that is the only way to bring down the high price of gas and energy while attacking climate change. The United States of America is equipped to be energy independent from Russia and other terror-sponsoring countries while also working to fight global climate change and break our dependence on the critical mineral supply change from China.

The [8.5%] inflation number today is only the beginning unless we take immediate action to address the pain being felt across our nation. This is one problem facing the American people that one political party alone cannot fix. The American people cannot wait any longer.” – U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, April 12, 2022

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — April 19, 2022

April 19th is the original Patriot Day which marks the multiple anniversaries of the battles of Lexington and Concord, known as “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World”. This first battle, leading to our nation’s independence, was the then-dictator’s (United Kingdom King George III’s) failed attempt at “gun control”– an act being carried out in too many parts of our nation right now. This first gun control of the colonies was a failure, because of the will and determination of a small part of the population (about 3% actually fought for our independence actively, with many others supporting) to stand up to an oppressive, controlling government (England). Without the sacrifice by those few Patriots, we could very well still be “British subjects” rather than independent citizens. Note that due to corporate bureaucracy, the celebration has generally been moved to the third Monday in April to facility a postal/banking holiday.

It also marks the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising against the Nazis in 1943, the BATF’s costly raid on the Branch Davidian Church in Waco, the gun turret explosion on the USS Iowa in 1989, the capture of the Boston Marathon bomber in 2013, and very sadly also the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.

April 19th is also the birthday of novelist Ralph Peters. Coincidentally, Ralph and I both have the same literary agent, Robert Gottlieb.

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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

Garden Architecture, by R.B.

It’s always surprising how much “stuff” gardeners need and can use in order to grow the simplest crops. My son always shakes his head at the number of T-posts, sticks, concrete blocks, strings, wires, fences, plastic sheets, bedsheets, etc. that appear in and around my gardens from time to time. Here are some of the “architectural ideas” that help me produce a widely varied harvest.

Plastic Jugs

Ya ha ha! You an’ me, Little Plastic Jug, How I Love Thee! Farmers and gardeners have always had to rely on their own ingenuity when confronted by surprise conditions that threatened their crops and their livelihoods. In more recent times, it’s sometimes easy to assume that most solutions come in the form of chemicals and the machines that apply them. But often this assumption misses easy, safe, and cheap solutions that turn out much better in the long run.

One of my favorite garden problem solvers is the plain old gallon plastic jug. You know the kind—you get them weekly containing milk, juice, or distilled water (from CPAP machine users), and maybe throw them into recycling just as frequently. Worse still, they may end up by millions in public landfills. But wait! This is a highly usable treasure that is well worth your time in propagating your crops and protecting them when they are most vulnerable.

So take your dear little milk jug, rinse it out thoroughly, and cut off the bottom just at the line where it joins the side. I use a box cutter-type knife to start an opening, and go around the jug with a heavy-duty plant scissors. Be careful because the plastic is bendable and you can cut yourself. You now have a mini-greenhouse that will perform magic! Plant a few seeds in a space that can be covered by your jug, add a little fertilizer and water, then heap up soil about half-way up the sides of the jug so it won’t blow away in the wind. Make sure you take off the cap so the inside can “breathe,” but save the cap.Continue reading“Garden Architecture, by R.B.”

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 comes news of a coyote hunting controversy in Wyoming. (See the Wyoming section.)

Idaho

Highly contagious bird flu found in two Idaho chicken flocks.

o  o  o

Grizzly bear suspected to have killed livestock in North Idaho.

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Alleged ‘cult mom’ Lori Vallow mentally competent to stand trial, Idaho judge says.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Stand your ground. Don’t fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here.”  – Captain John Parker, issuing orders to his company of Minute Men on Lexington Green, April 19, 1775

Preparedness Notes for Monday — April 18, 2022

Reader Chris C. sent me this doctored photo of the Russian cruiser Moscow (Moskva), which recently sank after being struck by two Ukrainian Neptune missiles. Chris’s comment and query: “I saw this picture of the Moskva and it kind of sums it up quite nicely. How do you say ‘You sank my battleship!’ in Russian?”

To answer his question is: Ты потопил мой линкор!  Or, transliterated: Ty potopil moy linkor!

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On April 18th, 1906, the San Francisco Earthquake struck northern California, killing hundreds of people as it toppled numerous buildings and started fires that engulfed whole neighborhoods. The quake was so powerful that it knocked down chimneys in the Anderson Valley, 120 miles north of the city.

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Today we present a review article authored by our Field Gear Editor Emeritus, Pat Cascio.

Blackhawk Serpa Versus Blackhawk T-Series, by Pat Cascio

I’ve been around firearms and firearm accessories, for more than 50 years, and I’m still amazed at a gun buyer who will purchase an expensive firearm, and then ask the dealer if they have any “cheap” holsters. It boggles my mind, that someone must have thought long and hard about their gun purchase, but no thought at all, was given to a holster for carrying their gun. I’ve been an advocate for good leather for as long as I can remember, and that includes ballistic Nylon and molded polymer holsters.

Blackhawk Products produces some fine tactical products, and I’ve been using their products for about 20 years now. Blackhawk was founded by a former US Navy SEAL, because some of his gear had failed him, at one of the worse possible times, and he vowed that wasn’t going to happen ever again. When a SEAL speaks, I listen. I’ve watched the Blackhawk holster line evolve over the years, and I’m anxious to test new gear from them, especially holsters.

We’re going to look at two hip holsters today, However, this isn’t going to be a test to see which holster is better, so keep that in mind. It will be a personal preference type of test. I ordered the T-Series L2C from the PR firm handling Blackhawk. As a rule, they are extremely fast to get me what I request. However, this time around, it was several months before I received the T-Series for a 1911 – and I was told that everything they are producing is going out the door just as fast as it is being made – especially anything tactical in nature. That’s a good thing from a manufacturing standpoint, but bad for the consumer. Then of course, we are still in this pandemic – that I believe will be with us forever – and labor shortages is a story itself, not to mention delivery delays.Continue reading“Blackhawk Serpa Versus Blackhawk T-Series, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Hot Pepper Sauce Recipes

The following pair of hot pepper sauce recipes are from SurvivalBlog reader Mrs. Alaska:

Anyone who has ever eaten MREs appreciates the value of those little containers of Tabasco sauce.  Why not make your own, with shelf stable ingredients? Packages of dry peppers weigh next to nothing and last a long time.

The following are two recipes, one for a Tabasco like sauce and another for a Sriracha-like sauce with the peppers I used, but you can personalize your heat preference with different peppers.  Some examples are: Puya and Arbol are hot.  Guajillo and Anaheim are mild.  New Mexican peppers range the gamut.  Check for specifics.  I will list my suggestions below, but you can look up Scoville Heat Units for a measure of heat for any that you do not know.  You can find dry peppers on line or in the Mexican food aisle of mainstream supermarkets.

Tabasco-Like Sauce:

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dry peppers, (stem removed) (see below)

  • 1 cup vinegar

  • 1 tsp salt

  • 1 tsp sugar/honey/other sweetener

Directions

  1. First, in water brought to a boil and then turned off,  soak the peppers for 15 minutes or longer, submerging them as much as possible.  Then drain and proceed.

  2. Bring all ingredients to a boil and then turn off heat.  Let set.

  3. Cool to a temperature appropriate for your blender or use an immersion blender.  Pulverize as smooth as you wish.  Then, pour into a jar, and let it age several weeks or months.  If you wish to reduce the heat, don’t let the seeds flow into your storage jar.

STORAGE

This sauce is shelf stable without pressure canning.

NOTE

I have made this with Mexican Puya and Arbol peppers, which are hot.  You can make this with any dry peppers you prefer.

 

Sriracha-Like Sauce:

Ingredients

  • 1.5 cups dry peppers (stems removed

  • 1 TBS lime juice

  • 3-5 garlic cloves, pressed

  • 2 TBS honey

  • 2 tsp salt

  • ¼ cup vinegar

Directions

  1. Bring all ingredients to a boil and then turn off. Soak the peppers for 15 minutes or longer.

  2. Let cool until you can pulverize the liquid in a blender.  If you want this to be milder, don’t let the seeds flow into your storage jar.

STORAGE

This sauce is more likely to be shelf stable with garlic powder than with fresh garlic, but I use fresh and leave it on a shelf here in Alaska summers.

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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, more about rising inflation, globally. (See the Inflation Watch section.)

Precious Metals:

Matterhorn’s Ronni Stoeferle: Why Gold Will Benefit from the Inevitable Reshaping of the International Monetary System.

o  o  o

Virginia Ends All Taxes on Purchases of Gold and Silver.

Economy & Finance:

At The Sounding Line: Most Accommodative Fed Ever. JWR’s Comment: We may see the officially-quoted U.S. inflation rate in double digits as soon as December, 2022.

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H.L. sent this: Russia’s debt default will be one of the hardest in history to resolve and could see the US seize the central bank’s assets, economist says. JWR’s Comment:  If Russia successfully backs the Ruble with gold, then they might not default.

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At Wolf Street: Front-Running the Fed: Bank of Canada Hikes 50 Basis Points to 1.0%, Starts Official QT. Unofficial QT Already Shrank Assets by 15%.

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“The West Needs WWIII” – Martin Armstrong Warns “There’s No Return To Normal Here”.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — April 17, 2022

Have a restful and meaningful Ressurection Day!

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On April 17, 1961, about 1,500 CIA-trained Cuban exiles launched the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in a failed attempt to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro. Above all, the invasion was an OPSEC failure. Due to the Cuba/Soviet intelligence network as well as loose talk by members of the brigade, which was repeated in US and foreign newspaper reports, the Cuban government knew, in advance, of the planned invasion. The Washington Post also reported that the Soviets knew the exact date of the attack, that the CIA was aware that they knew, and that the CIA did not inform President Kennedy.

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The recent sinking of the Black Sea fleet flagship Moskva by two Ukrainian anti-ship missiles illustrates that Ukraine is still very much in the fight. The sinking of this cruiser also shows that the Azov Sea is not “a Russian Pond.” Russia’s oft-cited quest for additional warm water ports may be thwarted for another generation.

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

Communications: Bringing People Together – Part 3, by Tunnel Rabbit

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

Without suitable commo, an extended and layered defense is less possible, or less effective. Lacking the ability to coordinate with a small community diminishes the ability to perform job number one: security. While Ham radio is a good thing when we need to talk far and wide, it is commo with our neighbors will be more important to us. At the very least, buy a Slim Jim (not a j-pole) from KB9VBR, or any omnidirectional antenna that is tuned for GMRS, or 464.500 Mhz. With that, you can for sure talk to neighbors up to a mile away on a Baofeng UV-5R as a sort of base station for the neighborhood. By ordering a Slim Jim from a small shop, we can specify a center frequency of 464.500, for GMRS. Use only FRS/GMRS channels 1-7, and 15-22 to talk on this antenna. GMRS/FRS radios are almost ubiquitous. I would also buy a box full of the least expensive GMRS/FRS to hand out, such as these: Cobra FRS/GMRS 16-Mile CX112 2 Way Radio Long Range Walkie Talkie.

Brevity Codes

Because GMRS handheld transceivers are literally everywhere, COMSEC (Communication Security) could be a real problem. Undisciplined traffic should be kept on the FRS channels 8 thru 14 because the ERP (read: actual power out) is limited to no more than 1/2 watt. The use of scramblers is illegal on GMRS, but there are older models of Midland Extra Talk, models that begin with the MXT designation in the model numbers that came with a scramble feature. After a decade, the FCC finally discovered what Midland offered, and ordered this feature to be withdrawn. It was illegal. The early MXT handheld models also transmitted with 3.5 watts, which is over the legal limit. A low power transmission that is also scrambled adds a layer of security and improves COMSEC within a community that does not otherwise have the ability. However, these older Midland transceivers were and are popular with hunters and are still out there. The use of brevity codes would be wise addition to your Signal Operating Instructions (SOI).

I refer to the excellent article by ShepherdFarmerGeek as a good source on this topic.

We can use simple encryption as recommended for most of our radio traffic, or we can use sophisticated digital encryption for sensitive traffic, yet no encryption, except a One Time Pad (OTM), is actually secure. We can buy a One Time Pad generator from Ready Made Resources, but many of us can only afford a manual version. Regardless, most persons will not be up to the challenge of using complicated codes, and sophisticated equipment, even if they could afford it. Therefore a brevity code that is not only easy to use is the best choice, and is also adequate security for a low-power community radio net.Continue reading“Communications: Bringing People Together – Part 3, by Tunnel Rabbit”