Constructing My Culvert Cooker – Part 1, by J.P.

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Introductory Note: Since posting the article on Wood Fired Coffee Roasting (Dec 8-9) a number of you have asked for some directives on building the counter height cooker. Because I love using my cooker, and I can’t think of a more practical piece of outdoor equipment, here goes with my best attempt to guide you through the construction process. I highly recommend putting together the entire outdoor kitchen, but if you are interested in just the culvert cooker then you’ll find that below – Stage II, Culvert Cooker. First, read through the entire article.
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If Wikipedia knew about the culvert cooker it would read something like –
“A wood-fired cooking surface, built at counter top height, on an upended length of culvert.”

Why the culvert cooker
* Safety
* Convenience
* Multi-purpose
* Low maintenance

We’ll begin this discussion of the “culvert cooker” by offering four basic rationale for incorporating the cooker into the master plan for your home place, be it a suburban setting or rural retreat. I’ll start with a brief story from my wife’s and my first summer of owning a very basic cabin in the isolated Alaskan wilderness.

SAFETY

Early on we had any number of friends join us for a few days of cleanup, gardening, and guest cabin construction. One evening an industrious dad asked if we’d be interested in having a fire pit for cooking, roasting, and general fires around which we could gather. Soon we had a nice, one foot deep by five-foot wide pit in the ground that worked well for all expressed purposes.

It was one evening, our second season at the lake, when I observed a couple of young children enjoying the fire, along with the adults. Their enjoyment included roasting marshmallows and a game of fast-moving tag. My heart sank as I envisioned either of the children accidentally falling into the center of the pit which was ablaze with more firewood than we really needed. Any form of an accident, a child falling into the pit and an adult going to the rescue, was going to end in disaster. That was the last fire in our fire pit.

CONVENIENCE

The culvert cooker was the brainchild of my brother who loved to cook on outdoor, open fires, but in his final years was unable to get anywhere near the ground for such activities. So he conceived of the culvert cooker, bringing his working surface to a countertop height. The cooker gave him several additional years of joy, sharing with others one of the things he loved to do. ALS took his life just two years ago, and the cooker carries on, extending his joyful legacy.Continue reading“Constructing My Culvert Cooker – Part 1, by J.P.”

JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. The focus is usually on emergency communications gear, bug out bag gear, tools, books, and movies–often with a tie-in to disaster preparedness, and links to “how-to” self-sufficiency videos. There is also an emphasis on links to sources for storage food and a variety of storage and caching containers. You will also note an emphasis on history books and historical movies. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This week the focus is on Kestrel weather monitors. (See the Gear section.)

Books:

Perhaps it is time to mention this book again: Total Resistance.

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Paradise Below Zero: The Classic Guide to Winter Camping (Fesler-Lampert Minnesota Heritage)

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Van Dwelling Basics: How to Live in a Van on Any Budget

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4th Generation Warfare Handbook

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Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

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This book is no longer in print and getting scarce:  The Ultimate Sniper: An Advanced Training Manual for Military and Police Snipers

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How to Find Out Anything: From Extreme Google Searches to Scouring Government Documents, a Guide to Uncovering Anything About Everyone and Everything

Continue reading“JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear.” – President Harry S. Truman

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — January 12, 2021

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On this day in 1737, John Hancock was born. He was the first signer of the Declaration of Independence.

January 12, 1879 – The British-Zulu War begins. British troops, under Lieutenant General Frederic Augustus, invade Zululand from the southern African republic of Natal.

Today is also the birthday of Edmund Burke. (Born 1729, died 9 July 1797.)

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I’m pleased to welcome our newest advertiser, Prepper Tees. That biz is operated by some of my relatives. Please take a look at their site. Many of their designs are very clever. – JWR

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 92 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. 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.
  5. 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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  4. 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 92 ends on January 31, 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.

Cap and Ball Sixguns: Old Technology, New World, by Randy in S.C.

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Ammunition is in short supply these last few months, and probably will be for the foreseeable future. RImfires and common defensive calibers like .380, 9mm and .45 went first, then .223/5.56. Since the election, even shotgun shells are scare as hens’ teeth. Leftist politicians may not have to gut the Second Amendment if shooters can’t find ammunition. When Mahbub Ali gave Kim a revolver, it was fully loaded. “Of what use,” the wily Afghan observed, “is a gun unfed?”

What ammunition is still available is often at scalpers’ prices. Paying a dollar a shot for steel-cased Russian junk is not my idea of a sweet deal, but what else can you do? In many parts of the country components for shooting muzzle-loaders are still available. Front-loading long guns now rival the power, accuracy and dependability of conventional cartridge firearms.

But what about handguns? Are cap and ball revolvers equally practical in today’s world?

My answer is a qualified “yes”. They are less convenient, slower loading, and require more care, but good ones are more than acceptably accurate. Power? Colt’s 1847 Walker, firing 60 grains of black powder and a 143-grain lead ball produces 396 foot-pounds of muzzle energy. A heavier conical bullet and the same charge pushes energy over 450 foot-pounds. That compares with the .357 Magnum and .40 S&W. Smaller-framed .44s and .36s equate to the .44 Special and .38 Special cartridges.

The Walker (Mattie Ross carried one in a sack in True Grit) was the most powerful revolver in the world until Smith and Wesson introduced the .357 Magnum in 1935. Nearly as large and only slightly less powerful were the various Colt Dragoons produced between 1848 and 1860. These “horse pistols” were intended for use by mounted troopers, to be carried in holsters on either side of the saddle. Few men would care to tote this much iron on their belt, although Clint Eastwood famously wore not one but two Walkers in his role as Josey Wales.Continue reading“Cap and Ball Sixguns: Old Technology, New World, by Randy in S.C.”

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 Wyoming’s cryptocurrency Special Purpose Depository Institutions (SPDIs). (See the Wyoming section.)

Idaho

North Idaho Internet Provider Blocks Facebook, Twitter on Its Service Over Censorship

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Instead of going on, Idaho high school graduates stayed home. JWR’s Comment: Part of this is the conscious decision by many homeschooling families to avoid the leftist indoctrination that now the norm at most colleges and universities.

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From the leftist MacLean’s of Canada: What’s in store for a post-Trump America? An Idaho town may have the answer.

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Idaho State Police lay out expectations for 2021 legislative session

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Schweitzer halts twilight skiing due to ‘overwhelming’ lack of face mask compliance, verbal abuse

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

Preparedness Notes for Monday — January 11, 2021

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Today is birthday of big game hunter and writer Peter Hathaway Capstick.

January 11th is also the birthday of Alexander Hamilton (1757-1804.)

And today is the natal day of the late Gunnar Fridtjof Thurmann Sønsteby, who was born in 1918. He was the most decorated hero of the Norwegian resistance under the German occupation. He died May 10, 2012.

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Today we’re posting another review by our redoubtable Field Gear Editor, Pat Cascio.

Ruger AR vs. Springfield Armory AR, by Pat Cascio

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I’ve had a few requests for doing another AR versus AR article, since I did one several years back. I personally don’t like doing any sort of “Versus” firearms articles, because it is difficult, if not impossible, to remain totally unbiased. In the end, a person will usually like one firearm over another, and probably for no solid reason – just a personal bias. However, I will lay out my findings for our readers and you be the judge when you finish this article.

Right now, AR-15 styles of rifles are difficult to come by, because of all the violence in the USA – everyone wants the best of the best, to defend themselves, their loved ones, and their homes from this violence. It is obvious to most, that the politicians have tied the hands of the police, and most police officers are pretty much a target for AntiFa and Black Lives Matter. The police are being told to stand-down in many places, and allow these people to throw rocks, bottles, and fireworks at them. And, when they are actually allowed to make an arrest, many times it is for disorderly conduct. The district attorney in Multnomah Oregon – the Portland area – has told the police there to not arrest people for simple crimes like disorderly conduct, because he will not prosecute those people. Why this guy hasn’t been recalled or tossed out of office is beyond me. In any event, civilians are now having to protect themselves from this horrible violence.

Okay, I’m off my soap box!

When we look at the Ruger AR-556 and the Springfield Armory Saint AR, under much of the window dressing, they are very similar rifles for the most part. They both have different “furniture” though, and that means something to many people – we have our preferences, of course. Both guns have a barrel that is slightly over 16-inches long and have a 1:8 twist, so they can handle some heavy bullet weights. Both guns have a flat top receiver – and both come with a standard military-style front sight, however, the Ruger front sight has horizontal serrations on the back, and it made the sight (picture) really stand out for some reason, and both have a fold-down, pop-up rear sight. Both guns came with a MagPul PMag 30-round magazine, and I believe these are the best of the best when it comes to AR magazines – period! The US military has finally figured this out, and is phasing in these mags to all branches these days.Continue reading“Ruger AR vs. Springfield Armory AR, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Chopped Beef En Casserole

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The following recipe for Chopped Beef En Casserole is from The New Butterick Cook Book, by Flora Rose, co-head of the School of Home Economics at Cornell University. It was published in 1924. A professional scan of that 724-page out-of-copyright book is one of the many bonus items included in the upcoming edition of the waterproof SurvivalBlog Archive USB stick. This special 15th Anniversary Edition USB stick should be available for sale on or about January 25, 2021. The 14th Edition sold out quickly, so place a reminder in your calendar, if you want one.

Ingredients
  • 2 pounds clod of beef
  • Beets (optional)
  • 2/3 cup tomato catchup
  • Salt
  • 1/3 teaspoon Tabasco sauce or Worcestershire sauce
Directions
  1. Mix chopped beef with tomato catchup
  2. Add tabasco sauce, using more if desired.
  3. Season well with salt.
  4. Place in casserole and bake slowly three hours, basting frequently with water and tabasco or Worcestershire sauce.
  5. A few strips of bacon across the top will add to the richness, and improve the flavor.
  6. Garnish with quartered beets, if desired.

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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

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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 risk of substantially higher inflation in 2021 and beyond. (See both the Economy & Finance and the Forex & Cryptos section.)

Precious Metals:

Black Swans, Ordinary Swans And Metals

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Silver Price Could Double Again Within 90 Days of Time

Economy & Finance:

Inflation ahead! Global Macro Indicators For January 2021. (Seeking Alpha.) JWR’s Comment: The included FRED Money Supply chart says it all!  Here is a snippet:

“Specifically, the policy response to the covid-19 related economic recession has led to an unprecedented increase in money supply. More importantly, the policymakers discovered the effectiveness of money supply as a tool – which makes it more likely that liquidity expansion will continue to be the key global-macro indicator in a foreseeable future.”

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Biden’s one-two stimulus punch

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Here is an Anthony Pompliano podcast: Inflation Is Killing The American Dream

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At Wolf Street: Having Already Dropped for Years, US Auto Sales Plunged to 1970s Level in 2020

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“A culture war is what Mao called ‘a permanent revolution.’  If the Confederate battle flag comes down in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, the front moves to Mississippi.  When all the flags are down, the statues and portraits go next, then the school names, until all public homage paid to Dixie’s heroes is forever abolished.”  – Pat Buchanan (as quoted in 2001)

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — January 10, 2021

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January 10th, 1776 is the day that North Carolina Governor Josiah Martin issued a proclamation calling on the king’s loyal subjects to raise an armed force to combat the “rebels”. This ultimately led to Colonel Donald McLeod leading the men on an assault on the Patriots that ended with fifty of his men dead and 880 captured. The Patriots lost only two of their number.

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Also on this day in 1976 the song “Convoy” by C.W. McCall was the #1 song on the U.S. pop charts.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 92 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. 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.
  5. 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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  4. 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 92 ends on January 31, 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.

Gear Review: Morisk Waterproof Flashlight/Plasma Lighter, by The Novice

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According to the ancient Greeks, Prometheus lay the foundation of civilization by stealing fire from the gods and giving it to mankind. The mythology of the ancient Greeks does not accurately represent the one true God, His holy character, or His plan of redemption. But the Greeks were remarkably perceptive regarding the role of fire as the foundation of civilization. Heat, light, protection from wild animals, food preparation, the forging of metal tools, and a host of other possibilities all lay hidden within the glow of a tiny flame.

Effective fire starting is so foundational to survival, that I try to take along at least three distinct methods of starting fires when venturing into the great outdoors.

My primary method of starting a fire utilizes a ferrocerium rod and a cotton ball with a daub of petroleum jelly on it. I have experimented with a number of different brands of ferrocerium rods, and have had good results with all of them.

My back up method of starting a fire utilizes waterproof matches stored in a waterproof case. Storing waterproof matches in a waterproof case may seem redundant. One somewhat damp and chilly canoe trip many years ago made me dedicated to the proposition that keeping matches dry is a lofty goal that is worthy of efforts that go far above and beyond the call of duty.

I have vacillated greatly regarding my tertiary method of fire starting. A butane lighter is inexpensive, light, and easy to carry, but does not always work reliably in cold weather. Naptha evaporates from Zippo style lighters within a week or so. Gasoline and especially kerosene evaporate more slowly from IMCO style lighters, but also do not ignite as well during cold weather. A flare generates a great deal of heat, but even a small flare is somewhat bulky and can only be used one time.

Eventually, I began to toy with the idea of trying a higher-tech solution. My wife has a couple of plasma candle lighters that seem to work well. I began to wonder what kind of field performance I could get from a waterproof plasma lighter.

On December 1, 2020, Mr. Rawles announced that I had received honorable mention in Round 91 of the SurvivalBlog writing contest. I received an Amazon gift card as the prize. I already had one item firmly on my wish list: Mr. Rawles’ newest book, The Ultimate Prepper’s Survival Guide. But I had more money on the gift card than I needed to buy the book. I decided to explore waterproof plasma lighter options.

One option that I ran across was the Morisk Waterproof Flashlight/Plasma Lighter. The idea of combining a plasma lighter with a flashlight was appealing to me. This would add the functionality of a lighter to a piece of equipment that I would likely be carrying anyway. So I decided to give it a try, and placed my order. Five days later, the shipment arrived.Continue reading“Gear Review: Morisk Waterproof Flashlight/Plasma Lighter, by The Novice”