Gardening and the Struggles – Part 2, by SaraSue

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.)

I decided to try raised garden beds, and I’m three years into it!  When people purchase and store seeds for their apocalypse garden should they need it one day, I laugh.  You could starve before you ever get a good garden going.  Unless, you happen to be sitting on perfect and fertile soil.

Raised garden beds   

In my case, I had to hire the help to build all the beds, transport barn compost from another area of the farm to the beds, and pay for composted “top soil” to be delivered.  Some of the beds were filled part way with old wood to fill up the space; some were filled with old hay, but most of them were filled with barn compost.  If I had the ability to do that work myself, I could have saved a considerable amount of money.  However, the barn compost was sitting on the other side of the farm and had to be moved up a hill and across pasture to the garden.  A tractor, which I do not own, was needed.Continue reading“Gardening and the Struggles – Part 2, by SaraSue”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

Our weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

—

Tennessee Republicans Pass Bill Allowing Lethal Force for Protection of Property. (Pictured above is the  Tennessee capitol building — a public domain photo by euthman.) A quote from the article’s opening:

“WSMV noted that if Gov. Bill Lee (R) signs the legislation into law it means “property owners will be allowed to use deadly force to prevent someone from attempted or actual trespass, arson, damage to property, including damage to livestock, burglary, theft, robbery, or aggravated cruelty to animals.”

o  o  o

Over at our friend Commander Zero’s Notes From The Bunker blog: An observation about caching.

o  o  o

Jacobs Media Techsurvey 2026: AM/FM Radio Listening Hits All-Time Low as Digital Surges to 44%.

o  o  o

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote Of The Day:

“The Enlightenment diamond-shaped society, with a huge, prosperous, socially-mobile, empowered middle class, is by far the most productive and creative system the world has ever seen.” – David Brin

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — April 28, 2026

On April 28, 1910 the first-ever nighttime airplane flight was made by Claude Grahame-White, in England. According to Britannica: “Educated at Bedford in engineering, Grahame-White owned one of the first gasoline-driven motorcars in England and worked at a motor-engineering business in London until he became interested in aeronautics in 1909. On Jan. 4, 1910, he gained the first English aviator’s certificate of proficiency. Also in 1910, he entered many flying races in Europe and in the United States, where he won the Gordon Bennett Cup.”

—

April 28th is the birthday of Aimo Johannes Lahti. (Born in 1896.) This inventive Finn designed (or co-designed) an amazing array of weapons including the L-35 Lahti pistol, the Suomi M-31 SMG, the Lahti-Saloranta M/26 LMG, the famous Lahti L-39 20mm anti-tank rifle, and the 20 ItK 40 (a 20 mm dual anti-aircraft cannon.)

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. 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).
  2. 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.
  3. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $350 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.
  4. Heaven’s Harvest is providing one of their Original Heirloom Seed Kits (a $139 value.)
  5. Harvest Guard is providing a 200-Piece Bulk Mix Pack of their Regular and Wide-Mouth Reusable Canning Jar Lids & Gaskets. This is a $161 + shipping value.

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 TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  3. Preparedness author Jennifer Rader is providing a $200 purchase credit for any of her eight published food storage and medical preparedness books, including the Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café series, the Armageddon Pharmacy series, and the Medicine Surrounds Us series.
  4. 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. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  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.

—

More than $984,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 124 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging. 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.

Gardening and the Struggles – Part 1, by SaraSue

I am going into my fifth year trying to garden here on my farm.  I have ranching and farming neighbors who have been at it for generations, and their gardens are amazing.  Mine?  Not so much.  There also exists a large Amish and Mennonite presence here in this area.  They have large and productive gardens.  I could just buy from all the neighbors!  But, I wanted to have my own garden, which gives one a sense of security and food system control.  It has been a several year struggle.

The 2025 gardening season was a positive change from previous years, and now in 2026 I am very pleased with the choices I made.  I spent the time and effort to construct, with help, 18 raised beds.  I needed them at least hip high so as to avoid the bending over, which gets more difficult with age.  The Pro of tall raised beds is that garden maintenance is less work once it’s all done.  The Con is it takes a lot of soil to fill those beds, as well as a lot of lumber to construct them.  8 of the beds were metal beds, and the rest were made with treated lumber.  The metal beds were expensive.  The lumber for the rest of the beds cost about the same as the 8 metal beds, but they are larger.Continue reading“Gardening and the Struggles – Part 1, by SaraSue”

SurvivalBlog’s American Redoubt Media of the Week

This weekly column features media 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.

Send Your Media Links

Please send your links to media from the American Redoubt region to JWR. Any photos that are posted or re-posted must be uncopyrighted. You can do so either via e-mail or via our Contact form.

The Editors’ Quote Of The Day:

“The Americans combine the notions of Christianity and of Liberty so intimately in their minds that it is impossible to make them conceive the one without the other.” Alexis de Tocqueville

Preparedness Notes for Monday — April 27, 2026

On April 27, 1667, at age 59, blind and impoverished, English poet John Milton sold his copyright to “Paradise Lost” for just £10 Sterling.

—

April 27, 1789: he crew of the British ship Bounty mutinied, setting Captain William Bligh and 18 sailors adrift in a launch in the South Pacific.

—

On this day in 1861, West Virginia seceded from Virginia after Virginia had seceded from the Union.

—

The last day! We have been running a two-week-long sale on all of our pre-1899 antique shotguns at Elk Creek Company, with deep discounts. This sales ends at midnight tonight, Pacific Time. (Monday, April 27th, 2026.) Please note that some of these guns have been re-sleeved and re-proofed for modern shotshells!

—

Today’s feature is a review written by our own Tom Christianson.

Spartan Blades Talos Folding Knife, by Thomas Christianson

Spartan Blades makes some really nice knives. Unfortunately, most of them are a little pricey for plebeians like me. But beginning in 2019, Spartan Blades was purchased by KA-BAR and expanded their product line to include the more affordable Field Grade models. Spartan Elite and Pro models are manufactured in the USA, but their Field Grade line is made in Taiwan. The intent is “to provide a dependable knife or tool for anyone regardless of budget.”

The Talos Folding Knife is a good example of the Field Grade line. It has a 3.12 inch long, 0.12 inch thick, straight back blade with just a hint of drop point. The blade is flat ground with a hint of saber grind. It has a very practical tumbled finish that does an excellent job of hiding signs of wear, and is made of CTS-XHP steel. It deploys with dual thumb studs around an oil infused bronze bushing system.

The frame is composed solely of G10 except for the liner lock. The texture on the scales resembles canvas Micarta. The handle on the version that I tested is green. It is also available in black.

The knife is designed by William W. Harsey Jr., and cost $115 at spartanbladesusa.com at the time of this writing. It would be a good choice for everyday carry (EDC).Continue reading“Spartan Blades Talos Folding Knife, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week:

The following recipe for Cashew Nut Butter Bread is from SurvivalBlog reader A.S., who writes: “This is super yummy and it is quick and easy to make if you have a food processor.”

Ingredients
  • 1 cup cashew nut butter
  • 5 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
Directions
  1. Using a food processor, pulse together cashew butter and eggs until very smooth
  2. Pulse in apple cider vinegar
  3. Pulse in baking soda and salt
  4. Transfer batter to a greased 9 x 5 inch breadloaf dish
  5. Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes
  6. Cool for 2 hours
SERVING

Can be served as a side dish, or sliced for making sandwiches.

—

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!

The Editors’ Quote Of The Day:

“Neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt. He therefore is the truest friend to the liberty of his country who tries most to promote its virtue, and who, so far as his power and influence extend, will not suffer a man to be chosen into any office of power and trust who is not a wise and virtuous man….It is not unfrequent to hear men declaim loudly upon liberty… [who] mean nothing else by it but their own liberty, — to oppress without control or the restraint of laws all who are poorer or weaker than themselves….The sum of all is, if we would most truly enjoy this gift of Heaven, let us become a virtuous people.” – Samuel Adams

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — April 26, 2026

On April 26, 1777, it is claimed that 16-year-old Sybil Ludington rode all night in a rainstorm for 40 miles to warn her father’s New York militia of the approach of the British army.

—

April 26, 1937: The German Luftwaffe’s “Condor Legion” destroyed Basque town of Guernica, in Spain.

—

Just one day left! We are running a two-week-long sale on all of our pre-1899 antique shotguns at Elk Creek Company, with deep discounts. This sale will end on Monday, April 27th, 2026. Please note that some of these guns have been re-sleeved and re-proofed for modern shotshells!

—

Today’s feature article is a product review written by SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Emeritus Pat Cascio. He is now in poor health, and would appreciate your prayers.

—

We need entres for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $984,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 124 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging. 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.

The Springfield Armory M1A, by Pat Cascio

I was introduced to the M14 rifle in Basic Combat Training (BCT) in the summer of 1969, at Fort Ord, California and I fell in love with it. I was only 17 years old and weighed a whopping 135 pounds at the time. But when I graduated from Infantry School in December of 1969. I had beefed up to 165 pounds. I longed for my very own M14 – however it was not to be, you see the US military M14 was a select-fire rifle, capable of fully automatic fire. When I returned to my National Guard unit in Chicago, I became a member of the Illinois Rifle & Pistol team and I was issued a match-grade M14 and I competed in a number of rifle matches after that – winning all of them in my class. I fired Expert with the M14 when time came to qualify with it.

M14s at BCT. Note the Blank Firing Device.

I thought it was great, I worked full-time for the National Guard and I was also psid to go to those shooting matches, Plus, I had all the match-grade ammo I wanted. When I left the Guard, I had to turn in my Match-grade M14.  Over the years, I owned several Chinese-made M14 clones – they were all nice shooters, but they weren’t American-made M14s. The Chinese clones were plagued by soft steel in their bolts. Some years ago, I managed to get my hands on a Springfield Armory American-made M1A.  That is Springfield’s name for theie semi-auto-only version of the M14. I loved that M1A rifle.  Unfortunately, due to financial circumstances I was forced to sell it, to help out a family member.Continue reading“The Springfield Armory M1A, by Pat Cascio”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

Meme Text:

My Wife Asked Me To Surprise Her With an Expensive Dinner Date on Her Birthday. So…

That Was Weeks Ago, and She’s Still Mad About It.

News Link: The “Taco Bell Index” highlights a hard truth: a chicken quesadilla rising from $1.89 to $6.19 represents a 327% increase.

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.