Recipe of the Week: Joe T.’s Chocolate Pudding or Pie Filling

The following recipe for Chocolate Pudding or Pie Filling is from SurvivalBlog reader Joe T., This makes enough for one large pie or six chocolate pudding servings.

Ingredients
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 3/4 cup cocoa
  • 2-1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 5 tablespoons of corn starch mixed with 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla
Directions
  1. Heat all except corn starch and vanilla.
  2. Just before boiling, add corn starch and vanilla.
  3. Stir with wire whisk for one minute while boiling.
  4. When it thickens, pour into pie crust or individual serving dishes.
  5. Let cool before eating.
  6. Top with whipped cream, and serve.

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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 market reactions to recent Federal Reserve signals. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Why is gold down nearly $100 after Fed shakes up markets?

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Neils Christensen: Panic selling in gold could last a little longer as Wall Street turns bearish on gold, but many look to buy the dip. Here is an excerpt:

“The Federal Reserve unleashed considerable panic in the precious metals market. While there is still some bullish sentiment in the marketplace, some market analysts say that it could take some time for gold to work through all the selling pressure.

The latest Kitco News Weekly Gold Survey results show that sentiment in the precious metals market has dramatically shifted as the gold ends the week down $100. The yellow metal is seeing its worst weekly performance since March 13, 2020, when financial markets collapsed due to the spreading COVID-19 pandemic.

Sentiment among retail investors is at its lowest point since early April when gold prices were just starting their two-month rally.”

Economy & Finance:

ING: US household wealth surged $20tn despite the pandemic.

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At Zero Hedge:  Feels Like 1977: Inflation Too High, Money Too Loose.

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CNN: Major US mall owner files for bankruptcy.

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At Activist Post: Unemployed Households Can Earn $25/Hour on Welfare in 21 States, New Study Finds.

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Democrats planning $6T spending bill that sidesteps Republican support. JWR’s Comment:  It takes someone with a really special statist agenda to phrase a headline that way.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — June 20, 2021

June 20th the anniversary of the 2013 death of novelist Vince Flynn. (Born April 6, 1966, died June 19, 2013.) His death at age 47 was a loss to the literary world.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 95 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. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (a $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

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 Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  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. An Israeli CBRN Gas Mask with Hydration Straw and two Extra 40mm NATO Filter s – Manufactured in 2020 (a $229.99 value), courtesy of McGuire Army-Navy.
  5. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum-sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  6. An assortment of products along with a one-hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

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. Siege Stoves is generously donating a SIEGE® STOVE kit, including a Titanium Gen 3 Flat-Pack Stove with titanium Cross-Members and a variety of bonus items including a Large Folding Grill, a pair of Side Toasters, a Compact Fire Poker, and an extra set of stainless steel universal Cross-Members. (In all, a $200 value.)
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 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!

Round 95 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.

Planting Productive Orchards, by David K.

When someone says the word ‘orchard,’ most people begin to immediately conjure images of fall and vast acres of fruit trees, hayrides, pumpkin patches, corn mazes, apple harvests, making cider, and so forth. But to those with a preparedness mindset, the word ‘orchard’ also implies benefits like self-sufficiency, the attraction of wild game for hunting/trapping, diversified protein sources, fur for blankets, boots, hats, coats, and gloves, as well as bartering. The term ‘orchard’ can have broader connotations beyond your typical fruit tree acreage. For many, myself included, the term ’orchard’ stretches beyond fruit trees and includes nut trees, berry bushes, vine fruit, and beekeeping.

When you, or your family, are reviewing and considering a land purchase, you would do well to take into account your ability to incorporate some or all of the options noted previously (fruit/nut trees, berry bushes, vine fruits, and beekeeping). Having the ability to incorporate all of the varieties noted into the broader definition of an orchard helps everyone. You, your family, your group/community, and wildlife all can benefit from the planning of this resource. I’ve added wildlife because fruit and nut trees attract them in droves and will allow you to diversify your food options (protein) year-round and during a collapse.
If you think you might want to plant an orchard, I would definitely recommend doing two things:

1. Find your USDA Plant Hardiness Zone
2. Do Your Research

Learning your plant hardiness zone is fairly self-explanatory. Once you know that, you can begin researching which types of trees, shrubs, and vine crops are suitable to your location, or future location. To that end, the first place I recommend looking is online. You’ll be able to gain a solid knowledge base and generate questions that you can either try and answer on your own with additional research or bring the questions with you to a local arborist or nursery. The online resources can also lead you to the purchase of valuable and reputable non-fiction books for your library from highly knowledgeable and respected authors, researchers, growers, and scientists.

When you begin your online research, I recommend the Stark Bros website. I’ve found that their website has one of the easiest interfaces for consumers to navigate and there’s a wealth of information available about fruit and nut trees as well as a nice variety of berry plants and bushes. As an example, Stark Bros. published ‘Growing Guides’ for individual fruits, nuts, and berries as well as a homestead guide for fruit trees. You can find that information using these two URLs:

• https://www.starkbros.com/growing-guide
• https://www.starkbros.com/growing-guide/article/adding-fruit-to-your-homestead

For all of the information available online, I would still highly recommend that you procure additional and specific information from local arborists and nurseries. They will be able to confirm or correct any information you find online and answer the questions you generated while you were doing your research. Local resources are going to be your most knowledgeable and easily reachable resources outside of local clubs and organizations. All of these local resources will help better direct your knowledge base as it pertains to your USDA Plant Hardiness Zone.Continue reading“Planting Productive Orchards, by David K.”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

To share this, you can find it here: https://kapwi.ng/c/ClOK0IhA

Meme Text:

Hunter Biden’s Artworks are Expected to Fetch $500,000 Each

But of Course, Those Payments Have Nothing To Do With Buying Influence

Related News Link: 

Hunter Biden’s abstract art to sell for $500K to ‘anonymous’ and ‘confidential’ collectors says his ex-con agent, raising serious questions about WHO the buyers are.

 

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.

Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.

We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.

And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.” – 1 John 3 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — June 19, 2021

June 19, 1834 was the birthday of Charles Haddon (C.H.) Spurgeon, who died 31 January 1892. He was a British Particular Baptist preacher.

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Today’s feature review article was too short to be included in the judging for the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. Round 95 of the contest 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.  Thanks! – JWR

One Year Review: Blackhawk Trident Boots, by Desert Al

Back in January of 2020, SurvivalBlog’s Field Gear Editor  Pat Cascio reviewed the Blackhawk 6-inch Trident Ultralite Boots, and caught my attention. I am wary of buying gear online without physically holding something in my hands and trying it on. But I have used many Blackhawk products over the last 10 years and have been pleased with the price point and quality of their items. I had my boots picked out waiting in my shopping cart on Blackhawk’s website for several months until they went on sale for Father’s day in June of 2020 and I purchased them for right around $100, including shipping. I have now owned the boots for almost a year and I wore them every day to work for the past 12 months, five days a week as well as on evening walks with my family. Unfortunately, I have not been on a cross-country hike in those 12 months but my work environment has supplied a varied testing ground for these boots and I feel I can give a decent review for anyone looking for survival footwear.

I work as a groundskeeper for a large university in the Southwest where the temperature reaches 110 degrees and up in the summer (today we’re expecting 113 degrees). The terrain I walk on campus varies from cement, asphalt, dirt, sand, gravel, decorative river rock and a lot of masonry brick work. I wanted a boot that was lightweight, breathable, and provided aggressive grip on a variety of surfaces. My previous boot was a pair of Redwing Irish Setters Farmington Soft Toe, which had a very slick tread and were dangerous in slippery conditions. A side note on Redwings is sadly half the store’s boots are not made in America anymore and the quality and tolerances show in the cheaper boots made in other countries. The best boots I have ever owned were a pair of Redwing model 899s (made in USA) which were unfortunately discontinued and replaced with some really goofy futuristic designs by Redwing.

Back to the Blackhawk Trident boots, I’ll go over my personal pros and cons I have experienced over the last year. I chose the coyote brown color option and was pleased to see in person that it was a somewhat darker shade of coyote brown and did not scream tactical, a plus for the grey-man philosophy. The six-inch “collar” design makes these boots easy to get on and off and the shorter length does not require a zipper down the side of the boot like other military style boots. The outer design almost looks more like a hiking boot to me instead of a tactical boot, with ample rubberized reinforcements in areas prone to damage. The outer layers of material have taken a good beating over the last year and the only signs of wear are discoloration from the harsh sun and chemicals I work with. Some of the protective rubberized coating on the inner big toe portion of the boots is starting to peel but seems firmly held in place where it meets the other fabrics.Continue reading“One Year Review: Blackhawk Trident Boots, by Desert Al”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those –or excerpts thereof — in this column, in the Odds ‘n Sods Column, and in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

I’ve been getting a lot of exercise while traveling. Along with some calisthenics, I’ve been taking bike rides every morning. These have varied between 14 and 21 miles.

Deo Volente, I’ll be back at the Rawles Ranch on July 2nd.

Presently, the folks at  Make Ready Arms are helping me create a new version of the Elk Creek Company web site, with our pricing denominated in pre-1965 U.S. silver coinage.  I’m taking a bit of my own advice. There will be an option provided for paying in Federal Reserve Notes (FRNs) via cash, money order, or check, using a multiplier. The multiplier will start out somewhere near 22.8 times face value. That is based on the current market price of a $1,000 face value bag: $22,800. That makes pre-1965 silver worth 22.8 x face. Thus, an antique gun that I’d price at $650 in FRNs will instead be priced at +/-$28.50 in silver, payable in 1964-or-earlier dimes, quarters, or half-dollars.

I should also mention that anyone who pays in silver dollar coins (Morgan or Peace Silver Dollars) will also receive a special bonus–above and beyond the bonuses that we include with every order. These bonus items have really delighted our customers.

Because of this website re-work, it may soon disappear for a few days. But it should be back up and ready to take your orders around July 1st. Thanks for your patience.

And now, Lily has the news from the ranch…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“In order to get power and retain it, it is necessary to love power; but love of power is not connected with goodness but with qualities that are the opposite of goodness, such as pride, cunning, and cruelty.” – Leo Tolstoy

 

Preparedness Notes for Friday — June 18, 2021

June 18th is the birthday of Pastor Douglas Wilson. Born in 1953, he is the pastor at Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho. Wilson is a prodigious author of books and articles on Reformed theology.

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Please take note that we are running short of articles to post for the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. So, if you have an article that you’ve drafted but haven’t completed, then please finish it up, and e-mail it to us. That will put you in the running for the thousands of dollars with of prizes that will be awarded in the first week of August. Your article doesn’t need to have any photographs. 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. Thanks!

How Amazon Destroyed American Book Publishing

Most SurvivalBlog readers are aware that I’ve been an outspoken critic of Amazon.com’s business practices, their leftist agenda, and their blatant censorship. I even went so far as to very publicly resign from the Amazon Associates program. I did so on principle, knowing that it would cost me nearly $30,000 per year in sales commissions. But I didn’t hesitate, because I knew that it was the right thing to do.

In this article, I will lay out some of the ways that Amazon has destroyed American book publishing, in their quest for monopolistic dominance.

The Flood of Schlock Books

To begin, I must describe how the publishing industry has changed profoundly in the past five years. Let me say bluntly: Amazon has ruined everything. By providing a cut-rate publishing platform for the masses, they’ve flooded the market with poorly-edited self-published schlock books. There are now literally five times more books available “in print” than there were in 2014. This means that many books with real merit from talented authors get lost in the shuffle. The book market is drowning in a sea of mediocrity. For book buyers, the dizzying array of books leaves them asking: What should I buy, and which books are even worth buying? With so many manipulated book reviews, it is hard to tell. There are even fake books that are sold as scams, and several YouTubers coach people on how to make money selling blank books as “a side hustle.”  Even more strangely, some Amazon books filled with random gobbledygook are sold for thousands of dollars, in money laundering schemes. — or for discreetly funding graft. (You know, the same way that Hunter Biden sells his  “art.”) Amazon publishing has become very strange, indeed.

With the now enormously larger “pie” of the book market, 99% of new writers never get noticed. There are hundreds of thousands of books still listed on Amazon that have sold less than 100 copies. These are available both as e-books and as “print on demand” paperback books, adding to the confusion for book buyers. The end result of this profusion of schlock books is that the major New York publishers now only sign contracts with well-established “big name” authors. My own agent (who is also my partner on e-books) can no longer land me any fiction book contracts from the major publishers, even though I’ve had three New York Times fictionbestsellers. That is how much the publishing market has changed. And much of that change can be attributed solely to Amazon. I’ve been told by market insiders that at least two of the major New York publishers are bleeding red ink and probably will no longer be in business by 2025. The traditional publishing industry is now in a desperate “adapt or die” mode.

Amazon Books, By The Numbers

Amazon’s Kindle e-book reader was launched in 2007. In 2014, there were 2 million books in Amazon’s Kindle e-book store. By 2018, that figure had jumped to 7 million. Fast forward to 2021, and there are now more than 10 million Kindle titles. It has been estimated that Amazon now controls 70.5% of domestic e-book sales.

But e-books are just part of the picture. There are now 48.5 million book titles (print and e-books, combined) listed at Amazon. They cleverly enlisted third-party sellers, allowing them to catalog and sell their books through Amazon, so that they could control the online market for out-of-print books. But internal documents show that Amazon considers these third-party sellers “competitors.” They only allow them to share some profits with Amazon for the sake of Amazon’s quest for total market dominance.

Amazon.com is the world’s largest retailer. At the corporate level, Amazon’s gross sales and gross profits have been huge. Their market capitalization is now more than $1 Trillion (that is trillion, with a T.)  Amazon’s  gross profit for a recent 12-month period was $167.677 Billion. And on that profit, in many years, they’ve structured their accounting to pay as little as 1.2% in taxes, in recent years.

Continue reading“How Amazon Destroyed American Book Publishing”

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 America’s aging cars and trucks. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Gold and silver both dipped on Wednesday and Thursday (June 16-17, 2021) as traders responded to Fed Chairman Jerome Powell’s remarks. Gold’s 4% dip marks a good buying opportunity.  In percentage terms, silver has dipped more than gold. But I expect that to correct in the next few days, bringing the ratio back under 67-to-1.

In September, 2018, when the silver-to-gold price ratio was 82-to-1, I wrote:

“Again, I recommend that folks seriously consider doing some ratio trading. The approach should be much like the oft-quoted “buy low, sell high” mantra. In the case of commodities ratios, we should say:  ‘Ratio trade whenever ratios reach extremes.’ After all, reversion to the norm happens more often than not.”

And then in August, 2020, I wrote:

“The silver-to-gold ratio is now at 70.73-to-1. It will likely get back below 50-to-1 fairly soon.”

As I predicted, the silver-to-gold ratio is still slipping, but not as quickly as I anticipated. As of the day that I’m writing this, (June 17, 2021) gold is at $1,778.40 per ounce, and silver is at $27.71 per ounce. That makes the ratio 68.19-to-1. But, again, I expect to soon see the ratio back under 67-to-1.

I stand by my long-term prediction. I’ll still be buying silver rather than gold until the ratio is south of 40-to-1.

Economy & Finance:

Can’t find chicken wings, diapers, or a new car? Here’s a list of all the shortages hitting the reopening economy.

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At Zero Hedge: Bank of America: Everyone Knows The Fed Will Stop Tapering As Soon As The S&P Drops 10%.

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New Zealand houseplant sells for $19,200 in online bidding war.

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And at Wolf Street: Third Publicly Traded Mall REIT Files for Bankruptcy in 8 Months: Washington Prime Group, the Simon Property Spinoff.

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And over at Credit Bubble Bulletin: Weekly Commentary: Historic Monetary Inflation: Q1 2021.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Tyranny is the exercise of some power over a man, which is not warranted by law, or necessary for the public safety. A people can never be deprived of their liberties, while they retain in their own hands, a power sufficient to any other power in the state.” – Noah Webster