The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

2

“You never can tell when you do an act
Just what the result will be;
But with every deed you are sowing a seed,
Though the harvest you may not see.
Each kindly act is an acorn dropped
In God’s productive soil;
You may not know, yet the tree shall grow
And shelter the brows that toil.

You never can tell what your thoughts will do
In bringing you hate or love;
For thoughts are things, and their airy wings
Are swifter than carrier doves.
They follow the law of the universe —
Each thing must create its kind;
And they speed o’er the track to bring you back
Whatever went out from your mind.” – Ella Wheeler Wilcox. You Never Can Tell (1895)

Preparedness Notes for Monday — July 8, 2019

4

Today marks the birth of actor Kevin Bacon (who was born in 1958.) Preppers and survivalists usually associate him with the campy movie Tremors.

—

This is the last day of the big Independence Day Sale, at Palmetto State Armory. Many of the sale  prices are amazing. They have their standard “Safe/Fire” AR-15 stripped lowers on sale for just $29.99. M16 complete bolt carriers for $49.99. And they have complete AR pistol lowers with SBA3 adjustable arm braces on sale for just $179.99.  (Those normally sell for $319.) There are several other lowers and lots of different complete uppers (AR-15/M4 and AR-10) also on sale. Oh, and Magpul M2 30rd Black PMAGs – Normally $12.30, but currently $7.99 each, with coupon code “PMAG”, and free shipping if you order 10 or more. Visit their site and check it out, before the sale ends tonight!

 

Taurus TX22, by Pat Cascio

21

One firearm question that I’ve gotten over the years, more so than any other is: “What kind of a ‘gun’ should I get for survival?” Needless to say, this opens up quite a can of worms, and there is no one gun that can do it all, and there is no pat answer that I can give folks. In another life, I used to tell preppers or survivalists that the first gun they should get on a limited budget was a pump-action 12 Gauge shotgun. I’ve since changed my thinking on that, for a number of reasons. First off, the limited capacity of a shotgun, and secondly, the recoil – its not for the faint of heart, and third, is the ammo – it takes up a lot of room and is heavy. Lastly, is the limited range of a shotgun. Oh sure, there are some positive aspects, like all the different types of ammo available – any thing from light bird shot, to 00 buckshot, to slugs for taking all but the biggest game.

These days, I tell folks to get some kind of .22 LR firearm. And I’d like to see them get a rifle first, and a handgun second. The long gun is more versatile, for taking small game at longer distances, while the handgun is concealable. Of course, the lowly .22 LR can be use for self-defense as well – it’s not what we’d call a “manstopper” round, but with proper shot placement, it will sure make a bad guy wish they were someplace else. Of course, we then have the cost of .22 LR ammo – after the long ammo drought we just went through — almost six years — .22 LR is finally, once again, available in quantities and prices have come back to close to what they were before the drought. Of course, a person can easily pack several 500-round bricks of .22 LR ammo in a backpack, without too much trouble.

There are many very fine .22 LR firearms on the market, that will sure get the job done, and I prefer something that is semi-auto, for faster shooting and ease of reloading. It doesn’t take much time to stick a fully loaded magazine into a .22 LR rifle or handgun, so that’s a big advantage. And, if someone were within 150-yards and posed a threat to you during a SHTF scenario, they will sure wish they were some place else.

Someone can take medium-sized game with a head shot – again, this would be in emergency situations ONLY. We do not promote poaching. However, when it all hits the fan, taking wild game may be your best bet when it comes to feeding your family. I once knew a fellow, who wasn’t making ends meet, and he was poaching deer on a regular basis to feed his two kids. I didn’t condone it then, nor do I condone it now, since he could have found other methods of making ends meet to feed his family. The point is, he took deer with head shots from a .22 LR rifle.Continue reading“Taurus TX22, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Bob’s Fruity-Oaty Granola Bars

Reader Bob. C. kindly sent us one of his favorite recipes, for Fruity-Oaty Bars. The name was inspired by the fictional wave commercial in the movie Serenity. His recipe starts with a basic granola bar, and then he offers several variations–including his favorite Fruity-Oaty variation. Bob says that his Fruity-Oaty variant “…provides tremendous strength and endurance, for terminal situations. They make a man out of a mouse. These are the best bars in the ‘Verse.”

The recipe can be doubled, if you have an extra large mixing bowl, and a deep sauce pan.

Ingredients
  • 1 cup flour (whole wheat or white flour)
  • 4 ½ cups rolled oats
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ⅔ to ¾ cup of honey
  • ½ cup melted butter
  • ¼ cup of light brown sugar
Variations
  • Fruity-Oaty Bars (aka The Healthy Kind): Add up to 1 cup of Craisins, and up to 1/2 cup each of chopped dried apricots, shredded coconut, and/or chopped almonds
  • The Cinnamon Kind: Add no more than ½ tsp of cinnamon to the dry ingredient mix
  • The Maple Kind: Substitute maple syrup for less than one half of the honey in the wet ingredients
  • Smores Granola Bars (aka The Unhealthy Kind): Add 1 cup of mini marshmallows –or frozen and chopped marshmallows–, and 1 cup of chocolate chips
Directions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 325 F.
  2. Dry Mixture: Mix together the oats, flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in any of the aforementioned variation additions, if desired.
  3. Wet Mixture: Melt butter and stir in honey, brown sugar, and vanilla.
  4. Pour wet mixture over the dry mixture and then stir it well. (If too dry, then add some more honey.)
  5. Press combined mixture into a cookie sheet with raised edges. (You can use a 9×13 inch baking pan if you prefer thick bars).
  6. Press down firmly with a spatula.
  7. Bake at 325 F for 18 to 22 minutes. (Less for thin bars, more for thick bars).
  8. Using a spatula, again press the bars down firmly, hot from the oven.
  9. Let the batch cool for 10 minutes in pan, and then slice into bars of desired size.
  10. Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan before removing, with a spatula.

SERVING

Bob says: “Best served during marathon binge-watching of Firefly, with Serenity at the end.”

STORAGE

Stack them in an airtight container, with a sheet of wax paper between each layer. Because the recipe includes butter, these are best stored refrigerated. Or, if you need to pack them for hiking, you can wrap the bars in individual wrappings of cling wrap. These will also store for several months in your freezer.

—

Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column we place emphasis on recipes that use long term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven and slow cooker recipes, and any that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

Economics & Investing For Preppers

11

This is a special edition of a regularly-posted column, by JWR. (Now posted on Mondays and Fridays.) Today, in lieu of the normal column items, I’ll only be discussing investing in rifle and pistol magazines, here in the United States.

Tangibles Investing (Magazines):

Magazine Bans

There are now several “high capacity” magazine ban bills pending at the local, state, and Federal level. Although the proposed Federal ban (H.R. 1186) may be passed by the U.S. House, it probably won’t pass in the U.S. Senate. At the state level, New Jersey’s ban on magazine over 15-round capacity was amplified to now restrict any magazine over 10-round capacity. And Colorado now has a ban on any magazine over 15-round capacity. Currently pending is a ban on any magazine over 5 rounds, in Oregon.  And a similar law has been proposed in Washington. Both are sadly expected to be enacted. Last week, the Maine legislature adjourned, after defeating a bill that would have banned magazines holding more than 10 cartridges.

There are also some well-established bans that will probably be permanent–unless the Supreme Court eventually renders them null and void, as it should:

  • In California, the limit is 10 round–although that is now pending an appeals court challenge.
  • In Connecticut, the limit is 10 rounds.
  • Massachiusetts also has a 11+ round magazine ban, but just as in California, there is a Grandfather Clause.
  • Maryland has a 10-round limit.
  • The District of Columbia has a 10-round limit.
  • Hawaii, has a limit is 10 rounds for pistols, but no limit for rifles. But, since may guns such as the AR-15 are also made in pistol form, those magazines are also banned there.
  • New Jersey has a 10-round limit.
  • The City of Chicago has a 10-round limit.
  • New York, beginning on April 15, 2013, with passage of the “SAFE” Act, only magazines with a capacity of seven rounds could legally be sold. The ban allowed ten-round magazines purchased before that date, but made it illegal to load more than seven rounds of ammunition into a ten-round magazine, except “at an incorporated firing range or competition…”
  • Inside the city of Pittsburgh, the limit is 10 rounds.
Stock Up!

Given the onslaught of magazine ban legislation, I strongly recommend that SurvivalBlog readers stock up on magazines this year, while prices are low, and while supplies are plentiful.  If a new Federal ban is enacted–either by congress or an import ban by executive order, then prices will again skyrocket.  If DJT’s chances of re-election to a second term in the White House start to dim, then there could be another rush to buy magazines, and a price spike.Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

1

“An earnest attempt to partition Washington state is a noble and proportional response to the progressives’ accelerating march to an ultimate tyranny. If the attempt fails, we will have the comfort of knowing we tried earnestly to preserve what we love by peaceful means. A comforting thought as you are left with no alternative but to lock and load.” – SurvivalBlog Reader S.V.M., commenting on the Liberty State Movement

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — July 7, 2019

July 7th was the birthday of science fiction novelist  Robert A. Heinlein. (Born, 1908.) He passed away on May 8, 1988, at age 80.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 83  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 Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  5. 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).
  6. 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. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 83 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.

Key Leadership Guidelines, by Old Bobbert

12

Let’s assume that you find yourself in charge of an extended family or group retreat. Without daily leadership communication efforts, and some serious daily security procedures, there will be nothing left to secure, nothing to eat, no water to drink. There will be NOTHING! No one will survive. Post-event survival will be dependent on decisions that are made in advance of stress, necessity, or coercion.

“No man is a leader until his appointment is ratified in the minds and hearts of his men” – The Infantry Journal
Security Team and the General Parameters

Now is the time to decide on the minimum talents, experience, training, character, and dependability that your post-event situation will need to be reflected in the person you will choose to be your “security team leader”. These qualification standards will need to be flexible and will definitely need to be determined in advance of the selection process.

The title of team leader is a working job description, and has specific meaning in our post-event lives. The word leader is a specific title with authority and responsibility. The word team denotes a leader working with the group members who have specific task activity assignments. Ideally, every team member will have accepted `personal responsibility for group and team goals and services. Group and task leaders will share the same types of responsibilities, and all gain their authority from the willingness of the group members to follow the task leaders directions.

DECISION A: Who is the Leader?

Before you can decide who those persons need to be, you will need to know without any doubts or maybes, exactly who is the leader, and that you are indeed their group leader, and why and how you emerged as teh leader.

Quite often you may sincerely wish you could appoint an immediate replacement. Good luck! Every day you will need to be subconsciously renewed and accepted as the group leader.Continue reading“Key Leadership Guidelines, by Old Bobbert”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

1

“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;

And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;

Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.

For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

Be not ye therefore partakers with them.

For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.

But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.

Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.” – Ephesians 5 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — July 6, 2019

3

July 6th is the 25th anniversary of the 1994 Storm King Mountain wildfire that took the lives of 14 firefighters. Weather changes, resulting in 45 mph wind gusts, caused a modest wildfire to erupt into a blazing inferno, which threatened homes in and around the town of Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Firefighters from around the country were called to assist in fighting this wildfire. We will never forget the young men and women who lost their lives battling this fire:

Prineville (Oregon) Hotshots: Kathi Beck, Tamera Bickett, Scott Blecha, Levi Brinkley, Douglas Dunbar, Terri Hagen, Bonnie Holtby, Rob Johnson, Jon Kelso

Missoula Smokejumper: Don Mackey

McCall Smokejumpers: Roger Roth, Jim Thrash

Helitack firefighters: Robert Browning, Jr., Richard Tyler

—

Our small remaining supply of waterproof SurvivalBlog Archive USB sticks is currently on close-out sale, at just $19.95 each. This is just until we exhaust the annual supply. This is your chance to order some extras, for gifts. When I last checked, we had only about 60 sticks remaining.  Order yours soon–before they are all sold out!

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 83  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 Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  5. 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).
  6. 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. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 83 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.

Rhubarb: Four Book Reviews, by S.A.

9

When I was a child in elementary school, I always felt cheated when the cafeteria served rhubarb pie masquerading as cherry pie for dessert.

Long time gardeners know all about rhubarb, but I’ve encountered a fair number of young people who tell me that they’ve never tasted rhubarb.

However, from a survival perspective, rhubarb is a perennial worth considering. You could grow it in a a front yard flowerbed and it’s doubtful the homeowner’s association (HOA) would recognize it. It’s easy to grow, nutritious, stealthy, forgiving (last year I transplanted plants from one bed to another in early Texas summer, and it flourished), and it will come back year after year. But what does one do with rhubarb? Rhubarb is one of those plants that is a vegetable but is usually treated in cooking as a fruit. If the food ever runs out, rhubarb can be depended on whether fresh or preserved.

Just so you know, the tartness of rhubarb calls for one cup of white sugar in many of the recipes. Dieters and diabetics be warned.

This is my combined review of four rhubarb books. Two of them are full cookbooks, and the other two are brief, but are “all things rhubarb.” Enjoy!Continue reading“Rhubarb: Four Book Reviews, by S.A.”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

15

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. We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in the Comments. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

Other than hosting some guests, this week was fairly quiet here at the ranch.  The weather has been intermittently rainy. One day was dry enough to be a designated poultry day. I slaughtered, gutted, de-legged, and skinned 17 chickens and one turkey. Meanwhile, Lily worked tirelessly with the remainder of the cleaning, butchering, and prep-for-the-freezer tasks, on all of those birds. We had a very busy day!

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!

Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border?

Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near;

That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall;

That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David;

That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.

Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive, and the banquet of them that stretched themselves shall be removed.

The Lord God hath sworn by himself, saith the Lord the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces: therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein.

And it shall come to pass, if there remain ten men in one house, that they shall die.

And a man’s uncle shall take him up, and he that burneth him, to bring out the bones out of the house, and shall say unto him that is by the sides of the house, Is there yet any with thee? and he shall say, No. Then shall he say, Hold thy tongue: for we may not make mention of the name of the Lord.

For, behold, the Lord commandeth, and he will smite the great house with breaches, and the little house with clefts.

Shall horses run upon the rock? will one plow there with oxen? for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock:

Ye which rejoice in a thing of nought, which say, Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength?

But, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, saith the Lord the God of hosts; and they shall afflict you from the entering in of Hemath unto the river of the wilderness.” – Amos 6 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — July 5, 2019

1

On July 5, 1810, P. T. Barnum, the great American showman, was born. He died on April 7, 1891. He is often credited with the phrase “There is a sucker born every minute.” While the actual attribution of the quote is suspect with many versions of the story abounding, the concept remains valid, especially when one considers the economic state of the entire world. Only in a world of fools could the economy of entire nations, indeed the vast majority of the world, be driven solely by debt.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 83  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 Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  5. 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).
  6. 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. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 83 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.

Making the Best of Powdered Milk, Part 3, by JR

5

(Continued from Part 2. This installment concludes the series. The recipe for Magic Mix is included in Part 2.)

Magic Mix Gravy

When we think of holiday celebrations, what we most cherish about them are being with family, and eating good food. And I want to be able to provide the best food possible. Unfortunately, that may not always be the most fresh and the way I would prepare it under normal conditions. Like our topic for today.

I like to make my gravy from the drippings of whatever cut of meat it is that we’re having. Add a little water if necessary, salt, pepper, and flour, and cook as usual. I loathe those envelops of gravy mix or the canned stuff.

But there will be times when I can’t just pull a roast out of the freezer, like, because there hasn’t been any electricity for months, and we still want to have as normal a Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve or Easter dinner as possible. Here’s where Magic Mix comes to the rescue again. It’s not my first choice for gravy, but it’s a good second. Make the basic gravy below, scaling the quantities to fit your group (as written below, those amounts will serve 4-6 people), and then add desired seasonings.

Magic Mix Gravy (basic)
1 cup broth or 1 cup water added to meat drippings
1/2 cup Magic Mix
salt and pepper to taste

Beef Gravy Seasoning options
1-2 drops Kitchen Bouquet, (for color)
1/2-1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2-1 teaspoon onion powder

Chicken or Turkey Seasoning options
1/2-1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon dried parsley

Bring broth or water and drippings, to a boil over medium-high heat. Add magic mix, stirring continuously until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in additional seasonings, if desired.Continue reading“Making the Best of Powdered Milk, Part 3, by JR”