Introduction to Beekeeping – Part 2, by K. in Tennessee

5

(Continued from Part 1. )

III – The Hive

The Beehive is the home you provide for the bees. It is supposed to make your task of managing the hive easier, while giving the bees what they want for a home. This is where you show your mettle and what you have learned. If the bees don’t like your home, don’t worry, they’ll just leave! The signs are all there if you know how to read them (an experienced mentor can help immensely). There are several styles of hives out there. Top Bar and Langstroth hives are the most common styles, Langstroths are the most popular, and what I would recommend new people get. They are affordable and interchangeable. While other versions offer advantages to some beekeepers, the ubiquity of Langstroth style hives makes them the beginner’s choice in my opinion.

Langstroth style hives are the wooden boxes you typically see (in the field, or as seen at the top of this article). The boxes house the frames of honeycomb, where the bees store honey and grow their young. Developed by Lorenzo Lorraine Langstroth in approximately 1851. He discovered the magic of “Bee Space” and revolutionized the field. It turns out bees are very particular about the space they occupy. They do not like open spaces, so the equipment in Langstroth hives is all designed to fit together and give you the appropriate bee space between components. This is important to managing the bees successfully – they can live just about anywhere, but your ability to successfully manage them is greatly improved if you pay attention to bee space. Langstroth hives come in 2 sizes – 8 or 10 frames (e.g. the wooden box is sized to fit 8 or 10 frames inside); and 3 depths – Shallow, Medium, or Deep. The boxes hold the frames, the frames hold the honey and baby bees.

Langstroth hives have a few sections, and different vendors have come up with different ideas on the same function. I urge you to not get confused by the variety available – it can be overwhelming to the novice; it was for me. Look at the starter packages available or ask your mentor or a club member to help you choose. I will offer my suggestions below.Continue reading“Introduction to Beekeeping – Part 2, by K. in Tennessee”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

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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 how the current riots seem to be spinning out of control.

WRSA Site Shut Down by WordPress

The latest round of the censorship war:  On Tuesday afternoon, the Western Rifle Shooters Association (WRSA) web site was shut down by WordPress — ostensibly for “content violations”.  The WRSA site has always been outspokenly pro-2A. I find the timing of when their site was axed very suspicious. You see, most recently, they re-posted the late Mike Vanderboegh’s serialized book titled Absolved, all in one piece.  Apparently that raised the ire and invoked The Author-I-Tahh of the leftist, anti-gun WordPress gnomes.

Other conservative and libertarian people and organizations that use WordPress for site hosting should take note, and make immediate plans to migrate to other servers!  Be proactive, or you too may end up “down the memory hole.”

Fear not. The WRSA’s primary writer has already begun posting on GAB. They can’t stop the signal!

Looters Kill Retired St. Louis Police Captain on Facebook Live

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Looters fatally shoot retired St. Louis police captain on Facebook Live video

The Widening Gyre: Louisville BBQ Business Owner Killed

Reader D.S.V. suggested this troubling news: ‘My son didn’t hurt nobody’: David McAtee, Louisville business owner, killed by authorities. JWR’s Comment: If there are too many incidents like those in St. Louis and Louisville, then the current protests and riots could spin out of control into urban gun battles and insurgency. Please pray with fervor for a return to civility, in America.

Virginia Refuses, Maryland Agrees to Send National Guard to DC

Several readers sent this headline, over at The Hill: Virginia refuses, Maryland agrees to Pentagon request to send National Guard to DC

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

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — June 3, 2020

10

On June 3rd, 1539, Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto claimed Florida for Spain.

June 3rd can also be considered the “birthday” of the U.S. Army. (It was established by Congress on June 3rd, 1784.)

Also on this day, in 1911, actress Ellen Corby was born. She is often remembered for her role as Grandma Walton, in the television series The Waltons.

—

On Tuesday afternoon, I heard from a couple of readers that the Western Rifle Shooters Association (WRSA) web site had been shut down by WordPress — ostensibly for “content violations”. The WRSA site has always been outspokenly pro-2A. I find the timing of when their site was axed very suspicious. You see, most recently, they re-posted the late Mike Vanderboegh’s serialized book titled Absolved, all in one piece.  Apparently that raised the ire and invoked The Author-I-Tahh of the leftist, anti-gun WordPress gnomes.

Other conservative and libertarian people and organizations that use WordPress for site hosting should take note, and make immediate plans to migrate to other servers!  Be proactive, or you too may end up “down the memory hole.”

Fear not. The WRSA’s primary writer has already begun posting on GAB. They can’t stop the signal!

—

Reader R.L. wrote ask why we no longer post a banner advertisement or generic link to Amazon.com. To explain: Amazon has discontinued “Amazon Stores”. We are still in the Amazon Associates program, but we are no longer allowed to post a generic “Associate” link for Amazon ordering. We can only advertise individual products, with links. But the good news is that if you click on any blue Amazon product link at SurvivalBlog and then search and order it or anything else from Amazon, then we still earn a commission. So, for example, if you see a link to book that we recommend — such as The Encyclopedia of Country Living — and then from that page you find something else on Amazon that you want to order, then we will still earn a commission. Each Wednesday, we post new recommendations, many of which include Amazon links. Henceforth, I will try to include at least one Amazon link for you to use, either in my Top Note, or down in the Quote of The Day. Thanks! – JWR

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 89 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any 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 (an $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, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. 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).
  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. 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.
  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 89 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.

Introduction to Beekeeping – Part 1, by K. in Tennessee

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I – Introduction

I started researching beekeeping as a hobby for several years before I got my first bees, mostly due to life’s circumstances. Once I settled down and had a piece of land to call home, I was able to get some bees and find it rather enjoyable. It’s quite unlike any other hobby, not the same as gardening, or NASCAR. Keeping wild animals in a wooden box isn’t for everyone. It has challenged me and I’ve learned a lot, and that’s what I find alluring – the more I learn about it, the less I know.

Beekeeping has been unpredictable, frustrating, weather dependent and has a steep learning curve. What little excess honey I have been able to capture from my bees, has been very warmly received by friends and neighbors. If it turns out you have the knack, good for you – don’t’ hold back! If you’re thinking this may be a great way to turn up a few extra bucks on your homestead – don’t count on it (though it may be possible). Initial setup costs and learning curve would make it a challenge to stay profitable. I’m fairly cheap by nature and tried entering into the hobby cautiously. I learned a few things along the way I hope to share here. This is by no means an authoritative treatise on the subject; my goal is to give you enough advice to feel comfortable starting down this road. I was very hesitant to pull the trigger on starting up in this hobby as it seemed so foreign and strange. Research and reading before hand certainly helped, but acquiring a hive and some bees, and spending time with them and working them has provided substantially more experience. I think you need a solid foundation of knowledge before starting, but hands-on experience has really made the difference for me. I decided to write this article with the hope that it will give some Survivorblog.com readers enough confidence to give it a try.

II – LIFE CYCLE AND HISTORY

Honeybees live in a colony with 3 types of bees: Worker bee, Drone bee, and Queen bee. The Queen bee is female, and there is only one per hive. The queen bee lays all the eggs, which become either workers or drones (and sometimes new queens!) Worker bees are typically +95% of the type reared, and are also female, but never reproduce. Drone bees are the only males and will fly outside the hive and attempt to mate with other queens. They provide no benefit to their own hive but do use resources/food. At the end of the season, the drones are all kicked out as the hive prepares for winter.

All bees start out as an egg laid in the bottom of a cell of honeycomb. After a few days of growth, the worker bees in the hive will cover the cell and the egg will pupate into a bee. Worker bees take about 18 days to cook, drones 21, queens take 23 days to develop, and she is fed a special diet called “Royal Jelly”.

Worker bees go through a variety of roles in and around the hive as they age. They start as nurse bees taking care of other young and cleaning the hive. Then guard bees and finally foragers going out and about to gather resources to bring back to the hive. Most bees typically live for about 40 days, and it takes 18-21 days to be reared from an egg. A complete lifecycle for most bees is about 60 days (egg to death). As winter approaches, the hive will begin rearing nurse bees to over-winter with (they live longer). All egg and honey production will shut down, and the remaining bees will attempt to cluster and keep the queen warm over the winter months. Stored honey and supplemented sugar are their only food. They will ball up around the queen and shiver, vibrate and flap their tiny wings to generate heat all winter long, attempting to keep the queen alive.

Continue reading“Introduction to Beekeeping – Part 1, by K. in Tennessee”

JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

11

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, books and movies–often with a tie-in to disaster preparedness, and links to “how to” self-sufficiency videos. There are also links to sources for both storage food and storage 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 Tiny Home, Shed, and Greenhouse Construction. (See the Books, Instructional Videos, and Gear & Grub sections.)

Books:

Tiny Houses Built with Recycled Materials: Inspiration for Constructing Tiny Homes Using Salvaged and Reclaimed Supplies

o  o  o

I’m looking forward to this upcoming book release: Building Your Tiny House Dream: Design and Build a Camper-Style Tiny House with Your Own Hands (Creative Homeowner) Comprehensive Guide to Constructing a Small Home on Wheels, from Start to Finish.  (Available to pre-order.)

o  o  o

Black & Decker The Complete Guide to Sheds, 3rd Edition: Design & Build a Shed: – Complete Plans – Step-by-Step How-To

o  o  o

Black & Decker The Complete Guide to DIY Greenhouses, Updated 2nd Edition:Build Your Own Greenhouses, Hoophouses, Cold Frames & Greenhouse Accessories

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

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — June 2, 2020

1

On June 2, 1774, Parliament renewed the Quartering Act, allowing British military to stay in private homes if necessary, completing the Coercive Acts. The Quartering Act, in conjunction with the Massachusetts Government Act, the Administration of Justice Act, and the Boston Port Act, were known as the Coercive Acts. These Acts were Parliament’s way of asserting their control over the colonists after the Boston Tea Party and were one of the main motivations for the 3rd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 89 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any 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 (an $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, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. 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).
  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. 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.
  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 89 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.

How to Prep for Natural Disasters, by Martin B.

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Various types of natural disasters happen around the world every day. While you can make general preparations for emergencies, there are plenty of specific things you’ll need to do to ensure you and your family weather a crisis safely. Here’s how to properly prep your home for any event.

General Preparations for Sheltering in Place

When a disaster strikes, you’re generally going to do one of two things. You’re either going to shelter in place, or you’re going to evacuate. What do you need to make sure you have on hand if you’re staying in place?

  1. Food: Have at least a few days’ worth of nonperishable foods available, as well as tools for cooking if electricity is off.
  2. Water: Store at least three days of water for each person and animal in your household, as well as the means to purify more if necessary.
  3. First-aid and medicine: Keep a fully stocked first-aid kit and a supply of any necessary prescription and over-the-counter medications.
  4. Hygiene: Toilet paper, toothpaste and toothbrushes, soap, and other hygiene supplies will be necessary, especially if you can’t make a trip to the store.
  5. Alternative power sources: If the electricity goes out, you’ll need alternative sources to charge phones and power appliances.
  6. Fuel: Make sure your car’s tank is full, and have some gasoline stored in case gas stations are inaccessible. If you use a generator, you will also need fuel for that.
  7. Ammo: If you have firearms in your home, make sure you’re stocked up on ammo, just in case.
  8. Lighting: If the power is out, you’ll need alternative light sources. Stock up on flashlights and batteries.
  9. Cash: ATMs will likely be inaccessible, and if stores are open, they may not be able to run debit or credit card transactions. Having cash will make it easier for you to get the things you need.
  10. Pandemic supplies:Due to recent events, it’s also recommended to add masks, gloves and sanitizer to your emergency kit, especially if you’re going to be leaving the house.

If you’re sheltering in place, having these things on hand will make the situation easier to bear, especially if it takes a while for things to get back to normal.

General Preparations for Evacuations

If you’re in the path of a dangerous natural disaster and it isn’t safe to shelter in place, your only other option is to evacuate to a safer locale. In these events, you’ll want to ensure you have everything listed above stored in your vehicle, as well as:

  1. A change of clothing: You’ll need at least a few changes of clothing for each person in your family. Ensure they’re appropriate to the season.
  2. Important documents: Birth certificates, car and house titles, insurance policies, and any other essential documents should be included in your evacuation kit. Keeping electronic copies of these stored in the cloud is also a good idea.
  3. An evacuation plan: Before evacuating, make sure you know where you’re going and how you’re going to get there. If your family gets separated, make sure everyone knows where you’re supposed to meet up.
  4. Anything you can’t live without: include pictures, irreplaceable items and items with sentimental value in your evacuation kit, especially if your home might be damaged or destroyed.

These are very general suggestions for what you might need to help you make your way through a natural disaster. Let’s take a closer look at specific threats and what you need to do to prepare for them. Continue reading“How to Prep for Natural Disasters, by Martin B.”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

23

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 link to a news article about a grizzly bear attack.   (See the Montana section.)

Idaho

For the first time ever, Idaho’s May 19th election was an entirely conducted by mail. County election officials won’t start tallying ballots until after the June 2nd ballot receipt deadline. We are hopeful that Alex Barron will win the Republican primary race, for District 3.

o  o  o

Werkz Holsters in Potlach, Idaho deserves special mention. They specialize in holsters that fit pistols equipped with lights, lasers, and combos. They make holsters for more than 1,600 gun/light combinations. Their Kydex holsters are proudly made in Idaho. If you order one and happen to be in the area, you can phone them and make arrangements to pick it up, in person–and meet their crew.

o  o  o

Over at Fox News: Free abortions, pre-K sex ed: Conservatives blast Boise mayor’s transition report as ‘socialist wish list‘

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

Preparedness Notes for Monday — June 1, 2020

8

On June 1st, 1942, seven months after the extermination of prisoners began, the Warsaw underground newspaper, the Liberty Brigade, made the public announcement of the gassing of tens of thousands of Jews at Chelmno, a Nazi-operated death camp in Poland. The story came from a young man, Emanuel Ringelblum, who had escaped the Chelmno death camp after being forced to bury bodies as they were thrown out of the gas vans. The West then knew the horrific truth about the slaughter of Jews.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present the first entry for Round 89 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any 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 (an $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, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. 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).
  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. 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.
  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 89 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.

Announcing Writing Contest Winners (Round 88)

We’ve completed the judging for Round 88 of the SurvivalBlog Nonfiction Writing Contest!

The following were judged prize winners:

First Prize:

First Prize is awarded to PapaP for: The $100 Homestead Grain Winnower.  It was posted in two parts on May 30th, 2020 and May 31st, 2020. He will received the following prizes:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any 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 (an $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:

Second Prize is awarded to Mark F. for: Converting Your Pedal Bike into an E-Bike. It was posted on April 29, 2020. He will received the following prizes:

  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, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. 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).
  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:

Third Prize is awarded to The Novice, for: Knives Under $50 That I Love. It was posted in two parts on May 12, 2020 and May 13, 2020. He will received the following prizes:

  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. 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.
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $100 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!

Honorable Mention Prizes:

Honorable Mention prizes ($30 Amazon Gift Cards) have been awarded for these 10 articles:

A reminder: Round 89 ends on July 31st, 2020, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry.

Keep in mind that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

S&W Model 642, by Pat Cascio

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As many long-time SurvivalBlog readers will recall, I worked for the late Col. Rex Applegate from 1990 to 1993 as his assistant. It was one of the greatest honors that I ever had. The good Colonel taught me a lot over those three years. A small trip, back in time is in order: My wife was offered a teaching position, at a very rural two-room school in a place called Ash Valley, Oregon – at one time it was a large rural community, that stretched about 14 miles down a winding road, about 25 miles outside of Reedsport, Oregon. It certainly was a beautiful area, and very remote. And it had one of the few remaining two-room schools in all of Oregon – she and another teacher worked the school. It would have been a nice place to live – we lived across the road from the school, in the teacherage house. However, the valley was full of two types of people, the great, hard-working types, and the low-life scum druggies. And, that is a story unto itself…

The Applegates were very early settlers in Oregon, and one of the pioneer trails is named after them. When we moved to Ash Valley, I realized that Colonel Applegate lived in the area, and I found his address. I sent him a short note, telling him I was probably his biggest fan, and several days later, he called me and invited me to come for a visit. Applegate lived in a very large log home, with his wife Carole, a retired school teacher from my old home town of Chicago. He referred to her as the “Cat Lady” because she raised and showed exotic cats. She lived upstairs and the Colonel lived downstairs in his private bedroom/office. After several hours of visiting, Applegate invited me to the “Annex” – it was a log building next to his house.

Little did I realize that, the Annex contained his gun and knife collections. I was interested in seeing his prototype Applegate/Fairbairn (A/F) double-edged fighting knife. I hadn’t heard that he had a massive gun collection – at that time, there were more than 850 guns in his collection. I was blown away, especially with the many prototype firearms he owned. I had to keep wiping the drool off my face, while looking at all his guns. Upon leaving after my visit, Applegate gave me some books and videos to read and watch, and told me to call him when I was done with them. When I returned the material, Applegate offered me a position as his assistant, based on my knowledge of firearms and cutlery. What started out as a part-time job, turned into a full-time one, and over the years, I learned so much about Applegate that others didn’t know. One interesting fact was that, when he worked for Remington Arms in Mexico, as their sales rep down there, he was also working for the CIA doing undercover work. Additionally, at some point, he worked closely with the Mexican military and was appointed the rank of General. He had completely forgotten about that, until I found his commissioning papers in a box in the Annex.Continue reading“S&W Model 642, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Mulligatawny Soup

The following recipe for and East Indian Mulligatawny Soup 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 will be one of the bonus items in the next edition of the waterproof SurvivalBlog Archive USB stick. This 15th Anniversary Edition USB stick should be available for sale in the third week of January, 2021.

Introductory Note: This Mulligatawny Soup recipe provides a substantial dish that will serve as the main part of a dinner. A lighter soup can be made without the veal by using the carcass of a chicken or turkey, and a ham bone may be substituted for the piece of ham.

Ingredients
  • 2 pounds veal
  • 1/4 pound ham
  • 2 quarts water
  • 1 onlon
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 turnip
  • 2 cloves
  • 2 peppercorns
  • 1 tablespoon butter or butter substitute
  • 1-1/2 tablespoon curry-powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 3 apples, sliced
  • Salt and pepper

This is an East Indian soup. It may be made with either veal, calf’s head, chicken, or rabbit, or with two or more of these in combination. It is highly seasoned with onions, curry-powder, and sour apples, lemons, or some other acid fruit. The best portions of the meat are removed as soon as tender, and served with the soup.

Directions

Have bone of the veal well broken, and place the veal in the soup kettle with the ham and the water. Sauté the onion a light brown in a little butter or butter substitute, and put them with the meat, adding at the same time the sliced apples, vegetables, cloves, peppercorns, and the curry-powder and sugar mixed to a paste with a little water. Simmer gently for five hours, then strain the soup and set away to cool, reserving pieces of the veal. Remove any fat that forms, and return the soup to the range, placing in it a piece of the veal for each plate. When the whole is thoroughly heated, season with salt and pepper and serve.

SERVING

Boiled rice should always accompany Mulligatawny, served separately.

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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!