Brewing My Own Kombucha, by S.C.

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Kombucha is a fermented sweet tea. Commercially, it is found in the refrigerated section with other prepared teas. It is loaded with live probiotics, so it has many health benefits. It tastes like fizzy vinegar, which takes a little getting used to. The fermentation process converts most of the sugar and caffeine. However, the caffeine sensitive may have to drink it only early in the day.

Caveat: Kombucha has a minor amount of alcohol; less than 0.5% if it is sold commercially, and 0.2% to 0.8% (other estimates say 1-3%) if made at home. I mention this so that those avoiding alcohol for religious, pregnancy, or recovery reasons — so they can make an informed choice.

I found Kombucha to be beneficial for my whole family, as we all need probiotics. It has been good for our overall digestive health, and helped mitigate diverticulosis, constipation, irritable bowel, and reflux. It even helped make the last bout of stomach flu to hit our house shorter and less violent. At least for the “booch” drinkers. Now we are all booch drinkers. It is especially beneficial for feminine health. My overall health was improved as I began consuming it regularly, and I found my body craving it.

My Doctor recommended consuming live probiotics, such as kefir or kombucha, for my diverticulosis. When I first looked for them at the grocery store, I was lucky to find some kombucha discounted for quick sale at $1 a bottle (a 16 oz bottle has two 8 oz servings). The normal price range was $3.5 to $4 a bottle. Most stores throw outdated kombucha away (they won’t even give it away for fear of litigation), and refuse to discount it before expiration. Finding it at a discount can be challenging. Even then, a dollar a bottle is awfully pricey for pennies worth of sugar and tea, and dimes worth of flavorings. Besides, I would rather not be dependent on a store for something as vital as probiotics. There had to be a better way, so I began looking for one.Continue reading“Brewing My Own Kombucha, by S.C.”

Editors’ Prepping Progress November 16, 2019

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To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year. Note that as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in the Comments. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

I was quite busy writing this week, so I only had the chance to get out and do just a bit of deer hunting.  I also managed to to get our pickup ready to plow snow.

I hauled out another 50-pound salt with selenium block for our cattle and horses, to our east pasture. These blocks only seem to last a few months. I should mention that selenium blocks are only needed in regions that have soil that is deficient in selenium. (Generally, less than .20 ppm. But I’ve read that the selenium content of soil must be higher, if you have acidic soil–which is common in coniferous woodland areas. This is because grasses growing in acidic soil have less selenium uptake.) Our local soil is marginal for its selenium content, so I err on the side of caution, and buy the salt blocks with selenium.

This weekend, I’m at another gun show. I’m still gathering an inventory of pre-1899 guns, in anticipation of the planned launch of a web-based sales company, in February or March of 2020. It will be called Elk Creek Company. I plan to post some details about that in January.  I won’t have an FFL and won’t be selling and modern guns — only pre-1899 attiques.

Avalanche Lily Reports:

Dear Readers,

This past week has been rather cloudy and cool at the ranch.  I had another quiet week of not much prepping.

I have been busy in our indoor greenhouse — a seasonally converted guest bedroom.  I will have some details on that in a feature article which will appear in the blog (Deo Volente) on Tuesday, November 19th.

I spent two early mornings walking around some trails and fence lines of the ranch, pruning tree branches and dead saplings, mostly pines, to open up more trails for Cross Country Skiing/Hiking/biking/horseback riding.

And I did go for two-one hour power walks this week on the the same trails that I had just pruned.

I added a baggie of Himalayan salt to my Bug Out bag.  It entered my mind to add it, so I did…

Most of my time was spent doing school with Miss Violet, writing the article on the indoor garden, studying the first nine chapters of the first book of Kings in English and Hebrew, translating, and doing the same with Chapters 18 and 19 in John. I also discovered the Red Alert Israel App that lets one know when rockets are being launched.  I downloaded it onto my i-Pad and spent time praying whenever I’d hear it go off.   And in general, I was maintaining the status quo of the ranch life: cooking, cleaning, feeding animals, organizing, etc.  Some weeks are going to be quiet.  I’m sorry that I haven’t given you something more interesting to read about…

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) bubbled up to 28,000 points by the closing bell on Friday.  If and when that blows…  …it will be spectacular, but not in a good way.  Please continue to prep, and pray, and watch.

May you all have a very blessed and safe week.

– Avalanche Lily, Rawles

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As always, please share your own successes and hard-earned wisdom in the Comments.

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.

And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.

For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people:

Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! how long? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay!

Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties unto them?

Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee; because of men’s blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein.

Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil!

Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul.

For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.

Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity!

Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts that the people shall labour in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity?

For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” – Habakkuk 2:1-14 (KJV)

Food Production at a Remote Home, by Mrs. Alaska

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JWR’s Introductory Note:   You will recognize the author’s name ( “Mrs. Alaska” ), from one of our Retreat Owner Profiles.

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Nature is very generous with her gifts, but at least here in Alaska, rarely consistent.

I think about the highs and lows of our food production history (animals, plants, honey) whenever I read some optimistic, wannabe homesteader or prepper declare, “I will live off the land!” or ”I will learn to garden when I get there.”   The key to food production, I have concluded, is to (a) learn to read the weather, (b) learn what grows in your ecosystem, (c) don’t expect the same harvests each year, and (d) be adaptable.

The following are a few examples of surprises that have impacted our food harvests of wild and domesticated animals (first) and vegetables (second) in recent — and variable — years:

WILD and DOMESTICATED ANIMALS (and INSECTS):

BEAR:  Last year, my husband shot (from our front porch) a large black bear (6’4” according to the hide) that is still feeding us from quart jars I canned.  Stew, tacos, spaghetti, stuffed wontons, moo shoo bear, just to name a few.

This year though, we never even saw one.  (Just scat from surreptitious night time visitors).  That is hundreds of pounds of meat we had expected, but did not get.

FISH:  When we bought a property on a lake, two miles from a stream, we assumed we would eat fish all the time.  But Mother Nature foiled those plans. Pike moved into our lake/river system about 15 years ago, eradicated all of the other fish.  I prefer trout but like pike: we used to haul out monsters 39 – 42 inches long and make three meals at a time. In the past two or three years, they have virtually disappeared.  A biologist inferred that when their population peaked and they had killed off everything else, they started cannibalizing their smaller progeny until few remain today. Therefore, the fishing we took for granted petered out before I even thought to preserve any of it!  Is it worthwhile to re-stock the lake with purchased fry and fingerlings? Not as long as a mating pair of predatory pike remain, we are told.

Yes, we can kayak across the lake and then hike two miles through bog and woods for salmon, grayling, and trout as we did years ago, but to do so, we need to resurrect and maintain a feeble trail, now overgrown with plants and downed trees and beaver dammed creek sections.  This, we have neglected to do while working on our property, so it will be a major project. Hiking two miles through untended old growth forest in Alaska is not like hiking through a state park.

HONEY:  Last year was our worst honey harvest ever, because the summer was so rainy that the bees did not want to fly.

This year was our best honey harvest ever because it was so warm and dry.   Also, our improved hive insulation and ventilation helped three of four hives survive the winter. Thus, they enjoyed an early start on pollen collection.  Since we did not expect that success, we had ordered four more “nucs” (a queen with a small, nuclear colony). This year, even after harvesting 28+ gallons for ourselves, the bees are fortified for the upcoming winter with plenty of honey (their food). We have high hopes for their survival to spring (which will save us $265 per ”nuc”).Continue reading“Food Production at a Remote Home, by Mrs. Alaska”

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 investing in silver. (See the Precious Metals section.)

Precious Metals:

Jim Wyckoff: Gold, silver slip to 3-month lows at chart-based sellers emboldened. JWR’s Comment:  Buy on dips like these!

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Commander Zero of the great Notes From The Bunker blog had this terse but pointed commentary:  Silver.

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Daryl Robert Schoon: Illiquidity And Gold And Silver In The End Game

Economy & Finance:

Dimon says problems like the repo lending crunch could happen ‘increasingly if we’re not careful’. JWR’s Comment:  Even the Perpetual Cheering Section at CNBC must have taken notice, when they heard that!

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Port Report: LA port sees biggest October box drop in 24 years

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At Zero Hedge: Sears To Close A Third Of Its Remaining Stores As Iconic Retailer Fades Away

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Visualizing Walmart’s Domination Of The US Grocery Market

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“My Creed:  I do not choose to be a common man. It is my right to be uncommon—if I can. I seek opportunity—not security. I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled and dulled by having the state look after me. I want to take the calculated risk; to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed. I refuse to barter incentive for a dole. I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence; the thrill of fulfillment to the stale calm of utopia. I will not trade freedom for beneficence nor my dignity for a handout. I will never cower before any master nor bend to any threat. It is my heritage to stand erect, proud and unafraid; to think and act for myself, enjoy the benefit of my creations, and to face the world boldly and say, this I have done. All this is what it means to be an American.” –  Dean Alfange

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — November 14, 2019

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On November 14th, 1985, the Nevado del Ruiz Volcano erupted in Colombia, killing more than 20,000 as nearby towns are buried in mud, ice and lava. Scientist studying the volcano believed an eruption was imminent and had recommended an evacuation of the area which was largely ignored, resulting in the high number of casualties.

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Today, we present another product review by our Field Gear Editor, Pat Cascio.  This is one of the unusual weeks where we have two articles written by him.

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Some uncivil words were used in a string of off-topic comments, on Tuesday and Wednesday.  I have stopped all commenting on that piece.  Henceforth, I will not hesitate to delete inflammatory comments, or to stop comments strings. Please BE POLITE, RATIONAL, and CIVIL, or I will cut off all comments!

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We are still seeking entries for Round 85 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. There are more than $12,000 worth of prizes. Please 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.

Springfield Armory 9mm 911, by Pat Cascio

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Nope, that’s not a typo, I’m sure many believe I meant to type “1911” – such is not the case…this is Springfield Armory’s new 9mm sub-compact handgun, that looks much like a Model 1911. Albeit one that was washed and tossed in the dryer, and it shrunk down to a tiny size. Last year, Springfield came out with the 911 in .380 ACP, and it was an instant hit with concealed carriers all over the country. So, the folks at Springfield did some re-engineering, and produced a version in 9mm, and it is only ever-so-slightly-bigger than the .380 ACP version.

The older I get, the smarter, or wiser I get – at least I think I’m getting wiser. I’ve been packing handguns for almost 50 years, and as I age (not gracefully, I might add) I find I don’t want to pack any more weight on my hip, than I already carry. However, I still want to be adequately protected with whatever handgun I’m packing, and that also means carrying at least one spare magazine with whatever gun I’m carrying. I do pack a .380 ACP only as a back-up to whatever handgun I’m packing. I used to carry a .380 ACP as my one and only self-defense piece. But my personal belief is that, the .380 ACP just isn’t a real man stopper round – even with today’s modern bullets. So I consider the .380 ACP meant for back-up only. My main handgun is something in 9mm or bigger – simple as that.

Now, there are plenty of small, very small handguns in 9mm, as well as compact, and full-sized guns, and there is nothing wrong with carrying them. However, for me, I want “enough gun” to get the job done, without carrying too much weight on my belt. For a lot of years, I packed a full-sized 1911, then moved down to a “Commander-sized” 1911 as well as the “Officers-sized” 1911. I also packed quite a few full-sized 9mm handguns when working in private security, a private investigator or in law enforcement. But those days are behind me, and I don’t always feel the need to carry more gun that I believe I’ll need. I assess my threats, whenever I leave my house – most of the time, I leave a big gun at home, unless I’m going into a bad area, or a big city. If that is the case then I pack more handgun and extra ammo on my hip. I don’t plan on getting into a running gun battle with a biker gang, nor do I see myself chasing down a squad of terrorists, so I dress accordingly, when it comes to handguns.

There’s a lot to like in the Springfield 911, in 9mm, so best get to it. First of all, this little gun only weighs-in at 15.3-oz – we are talking a lightweight 9mm no matter how you look at it. There are several versions, and the one I requested has a brushed stainless steel slide – others have a stainless steel slide but it is coated in black Nitride for a stealth look. We have three dot night sights on the slide, and the front night sight is big and bold, easy to see in daylight as well as in low-light. In bright sunlight, the front sight glows bright green – very fast to pick-up. The front of the rear sight, is squared-off, so if need be, you can press the rear sight against your pants belt to cycle the slide and chamber a round, one-handed – excellent.Continue reading“Springfield Armory 9mm 911, by Pat Cascio”

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 blackouts in the socialist dictatorship of Venezuela.

Demographics History & Predictions

Over at Unz Review: Top 25 Cool Demographics Facts. The tables and maps are fascinating.

Radio Free Redoubt: Our Options – Capitulate or Fight

Linked over at the great Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Radio Free Redoubt: Our Options – Capitulate or Fight

NASA Gas Detector Plane Identifies “Super-Emitters” Across California

H.L. sent this: NASA Gas Detector Plane Identifies “Super-Emitters” Across California. JWR’s Comment:  Flatulent landfills. The horror!

Everytown Spent Record $2.5 Million to Flip Virginia Red to Blue

Everytown Spent Record $2.5 Million to Flip Virginia Red to Blue. JWR’s Comment:  Everytown was of course founded  and now financially backed by Michael Bloomberg.  Bloomberg has frighteningly totalitarian plans for you guns.  And Virginia’s new Governor?  He is already making major civilian disarmament plans.Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — November 13, 2019

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Here is a Hong Kong protest update, courtesy of our Editor-at-Large, Michael Z. Williamson, quoting his friend Marc Adkins, who in turn was quoting a local friend “on the ground”, in the city:

“Hong Kong Chinese University (HKCU) is under Siege by the Hong Kong Police Force. The reason behind this is if they managed to take over HKCU, they will have access to Hong Kong Internet Exchange (HKIX), which is located within HKCU.

The HKIX serves as a hub to 99% messages that [are] sent and received through Internet within Hong Kong. If HKCU is fallen, every Hong Kongers’ message will be monitored by Communist China and the puppet Hong Kong Government.

With China’s A.I., MILLIONS of Hong Kongers will be sought out, arrested, raped, have livers and kidneys harvested, etc. We will be vanished without a trace afterwards systematically.

We Hong Kongers are in the front line of the battle between the Free World and that of Communist Tyranny. Yet the rest of the world is just sitting back relaxed, watching and doing NOTHING.”

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Robert Louis Stevenson, author of Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, was born in Scotland on November 13th, 1850.

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Continental Army Brigadier General Richard Montgomery took Montreal, Canada without opposition on November 13, 1775.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 85 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3,000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
  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 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 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.
  3. 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,
  4. A $300 purchase credit for any of the products from EMPShield.com
  5. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  6. 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).
  7. 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. Good2GoCo.com is providing a $400 purchase credit at regular prices for the prize winner’s choice of either Wise Foods or Augason long term storage foods, in stackable buckets.
  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 Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 85 ends on November 30th, 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.

What I Learned From the Recent Power Outage – Part 2, by A.K.

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

The house is located in a rural locale with only two other homes on the road (friends of theirs). They have a well and septic system. And they even have a decent amount of food stored such as canned goods that I could access in an emergency(and pay them back for later).

I was pretty pleased to realize this. I actually felt the best here (and safest) that I have felt during my entire time traveling. I figured that in an emergency I’d be okay here for a while. It’s even located within a day’s walk of my son’s apartment.

Gotta be careful what you wish for I guess but a big storm hit with lots of rain and wind and we lost power. Okay. So far so good. I have a few LED flashlights with me, both of which recharge using a built-in solar panel (one has a crank as well). I had already looked to find their candles(a few small ones plus tea candles; all stinky scented ones alas). I also had unscented tea candles with me.

To my surprise, shortly after we lost power, we also lost the cell signal; evidently there’s a very limited amount of batter storage at the cell tower and it goes down quickly if there’s a power outage. I didn’t know this!Continue reading“What I Learned From the Recent Power Outage – Part 2, by A.K.”

JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

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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 a simple way to split kindling, as recommended by Cody, aka Wranglerstar. (See the Instructional Videos & Vlogs section.)

Books:

Reader DSV mentioned this book: When They Come For You: How Police and Government are Trampling Our Liberties and How To Take Them Back

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Triggered, by Donald Trump, Jr.

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Stack Silver Get Gold – How to Buy Gold and Silver Bullion without Getting Ripped Off!

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Three Days at the Brink: FDR’s Daring Gamble to Win World War II.  This is some important history reading.  Most Americans have no idea what FDR conceded at the Yalta and Tehran conferences. These diplomatic disasters set the stage for the Cold War.

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Racing Winter on the Pacific Crest Trail

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