Preparedness Notes for Monday — December 9, 2024

December 9, 1775: At Fort Ticonderoga, New York, Henry Knox began his historic transport of abandoned British artillery to Boston, Massachusetts, that later forced the British to evacuate Boston.

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December 9, 1914 was the birthday of Maximo Guillermo “Max” Manus. He was one of the few Norwegians who fought the Nazi occupiers. Max Manus passed away in 1996. His exploits are fairly accurately shown in the movie Max Manus: Man of War.

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Today’s feature article was penned by Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson.

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We are seeking entries for Round 116 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $935,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 116 ends on January 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.

Browning X-Bolt 2 Speed in 6.5 Creedmoor, by Thomas Christianson

Light. Accurate. Well-balanced. Excellent trigger. Versatile adjustable stock. Attractive appearance. Outstanding fit and finish. Butter-smooth bolt. Weather resistant. There are a lot of excellent features to commend the new Browning X-Bolt 2 Speed rifle.

With a manufacturer-suggested retail price of $1,469.99 at the time of this writing, the X-Bolt 2 Speed falls into the medium price range for full-power rifles. A wide range of premium features justify the elevation of the X-Bolt 2 out of the sub-$1,000-price-range.

The rifle is manufactured for Browning in Japan by Miroku.

If you would like to invest in a better-than-budget-class rifle, the X-Bolt 2 Speed is definitely worth at least a first and second look.Continue reading“Browning X-Bolt 2 Speed in 6.5 Creedmoor, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week: Mrs. Alaska’s Split Pea Soup

The following recipe for Split Pea Soup is from SurvivalBlog reader and fellow blogger Mrs. Alaska. She writes:

“Split pea soup is a tasty winter treat, easy to cook on a wood stove or on a tripod over a fire as well as on an electric or gas stove. The peas degrade to a nice, creamy texture with little attention other than an occasional stir over several hours.

This is always my planned meal when I enter my stone-cold cabin or camping site. I light the wood stove or campfire, set a pot on top, pour water or snow into it to heat, and then add the other ingredients that I stored in a “first retrieval” pack. Then I get busy shoveling, sweeping, hauling in supplies, setting up camp, and whatever else needs doing. By the time my chores are done, several hours later, a tasty meal awaits. And let’s face it, the scent of something cooking in a cold cabin or campsite makes the place seem warmer and more inviting.

This recipe also works for making lentil soup.”

Ingredients

1 pound (or one quart) of dried, green split peas. These are easy to buy in bulk and save for years. One pound works for four people or two plus leftovers, plus side dishes, like garlic cheesy bread. Ideally, you rinse the dried peas, but let’s face it, sometimes, you can’t.

Enough water (or snow, replenished to melt) to cover the peas plus 2 to 4 inches. You will likely add liquid when you stir). (This, like any soup or stew, is better tasting with broth than water. So if you have it, use ham, pork, or vegetable broth instead of water. Or add bouillon cubes to water.

1 medium onion, chopped

1 carrot chopped (or an equivalent amount of fermented or canned or frozen carrots: about 1.5 cups). You can also add celery or other veggies, if available.

1 ham hock (smoked adds great flavor) or 2 cups of ham or dry sausages, such as andouille, buffalo, venison, cut small, for spooning up with the soup.

Add whatever aromatics you wish, such as garlic, red pepper, thyme, marjoram, black pepper.

I add a swish of olive oil to smooth the mouth feel.

Pea soup will certainly need some salt, to suit your taste.

Here is my SECRET INGREDIENT: I add dried orange or lemon rind. This “brightens” the flavor. If you do not dry rinds (which I find useful for so many dishes), you can squeeze in lemon juice or zest a lemon rind, or add a splash of vinegar.

Note: If you use a ham hock, peel off any meat into the soup and then boil the bone separately to make some broth for a future meal. Many people do not believe it appropriate to give cooked bones to their dogs, so you decide. I do give the ham hock bones to our dog, which he buries in the snow and … sometimes … finds again.

Directions

Heat over low to medium heat and stir occasionally over the course of several hours or up to two days.

SERVING

This, like many soups and stews, can be cooked the day before, reheated, and served,

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Do you have a well-tested 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 recipes, slow cooker recipes, and any recipes that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — December 8, 2024

On December 8, 1864, the Clifton Suspension Bridge, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, was finally opened in Bristol, England, five years after his death. The deck and cables that we see today are replacements, but the footings and towers are original.

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Today’s feature article is an open letter by SurvivalBlog Senior Editor, James Wesley, Rawles (JWR).

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We are seeking entries for Round 116 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $935,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 116 ends on January 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.

A “Stay Behind” Strategy for Ukraine and Moldova

This article serves as an open letter, primarily to Tulsi Gabbard, President-elect Trump’s Director of National Intelligence (DNI) designee. It would also be of interest to planners in the CIA’s Directorate of Operations (DO). Take note that rather than re-hashing some well-documented historical subjects, I will be relying heavily on quoting the InfoGalactic Wiki. Also, note that this is an article about strategy rather than tactics.

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Carborundum

With casualties mounting after more than two years of intense fighting in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Army is quite simply losing its war of attrition against the combined Russian ground and air forces. Russia is a much larger nation with a much larger army and air force. In a war of attrition, time is on their side. Meanwhile, Ukraine is now running out of Military Age Males (MAMs). The MAM manpower shortage is now so acute that the Biden administration recently urged the Ukrainian government to start drafting 18-year-olds. The sad truth is that if the war drags on, by 2027 the Ukrainian Army will predominantly be composed of very young conscripts, and men in the 50s. Most of those in the ages between will be battlefield statistics. (Read: killed or permanently disabled.)

With that demographic imperative in mind, it seems obvious that in a best case, Ukraine will be forced to cede some territory in Crimea — the eastern portion of their nation — to the Russians, and parlay for peace. In a worst case, Russia will commit to a much longer war, and seek to conquer the proverbial “Whole Enchilada.” That would transform the war from a simple war of attrition and limited territorial conquest into a full-scale war of subjugation and genocide.

The fight that the Ukrainian armed forces have put up in defending its territory is commendable. But the sheer weight of the Russian forces and the Russian government’s willingness to fight a relatively static war of numbers has made the loss of some ground in Ukraine almost inevitable.

In rethinking the American strategy in Ukraine, one key aspect is contingency planning for if and when Ukraine is partly or entirely overrun by Russian forces. In my estimation, Moldova is similarly at risk. The thrust of this article is that the United States needs to develop a Stay Behind Strategy, in planning their military assistance for Ukraine, and possibly elsewhere in Eastern Europe, the Baltic nations, and Scandinavia.
Continue reading“A “Stay Behind” Strategy for Ukraine and Moldova”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

Meme Text:

Project Camel Smoke: Step 1: Joe Biden Pardons Hunter Biden.

Step 2: Joe Resigns and Kackling Kamala Becomes “The First Female President” Step 3: President Harris Conveniently Pardons Joe Biden

News Links:

Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks!

Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provided that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.

 

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — December 7, 2024

On December 7, 1909, inventor Leo Baekeland patented the first thermosetting plastic, Bakelite. This sparked the birth of the plastics industry.  By the 1930s, the majority of tabletop radios had Bakelite cabinets.

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On this day in 43 B.C., Roman orator and politician Marcus Tullius Cicero was assassinated in Formiae by soldiers under the command of Mark Antony.

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December 7, 1703: The Great Storm of 1703 hit Southern England – thousands were killed, Royal Navy losses included 13 ships and around 1,500 seamen.

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On a Sunday morning in 1941, America was caught sleeping. Then there was that September morning, in 2001. Let’s pray that we don’t have any more days like those, ever again. – JWR

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Today’s feature article is by JWR.

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We are seeking entries for Round 116 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $935,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 116 ends on January 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.

The Amazing Vetterli

The title of this article might sound like the marquee sign for a magic act.  But this piece is more like a segment of Ian McCollum’s Forgotten Weapons video series.

In the late 1860s, the Swiss inventor and gunmaker Johann-Friedrich Vetterli designed a bolt-action repeating rifle (“Repetiergewehr“) that was a true innovation. With its very large magazine capacity, I consider the Vetterli an 1870s Sturmgewehr predecessor.Continue reading“The Amazing Vetterli”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both 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 the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

We had a great two-day belated Thanksgiving visit with our kids and grandkids last weekend, here at the ranch.  As usual, our #1 Son Jonathan cut a Christmas tree out in our woods, to take home with him.

On Monday and Tuesday, we slaughtered and butchered two batches of excess roosters. On Monday we did a dozen.  On Tuesday we butchered ten more. As usual, I did the slaughtering, beheading, de-legging, gutting, and wingtip removal.   Lily did the scalding, plucking, carcass cleanup, and freezer-bagging. Of the thirteen that were skinned, Lily boiled down 11 of them. Those were deboned and the meat put in quart freezer bags and frozen.

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Now, Lily’s part of the report…Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

Preparedness Notes for Friday — December 6, 2024

Today is the birthday of RAF and RCAF fighter ace George Frederick “Buzz” Beurling. (Pictured, at right.) He was born in Verdon, Quebec on December 6, 1921, and died in Rome, Italy, May 20, 1948. There are a few books about him and one worth mentioning is his autobiography Malta Spitfire which he wrote in 1943 during a Victory Bond tour in Canada. He left the RCAF in about April 1944 with 31 kills, most of them during the siege of Malta in the summer of 1942.

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Today is also the birthday of “claymation” artist and filmmaker Nick Park (born, 1958.) He is best known for his Wallace & Gromit films.

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On December 6th, 1865, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, ending the institution of slavery. “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” With these words, the single greatest change wrought by the Civil War was officially noted in the Constitution.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 116 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 Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. 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).
  3. A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com.
  4. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  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 gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. 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)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $935,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 116 ends on January 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.