Train Your Tracking Dog – Part 2, by Dogdancer

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(This part concludes a two-part article.)

Step One: Show the dog that searching is a game played under special circumstances. The way our search team did this was by having a unique harness that dogs wore only when training or going on a search. In this way, every time you put that one harness on the dog, he understands he is getting ready to search for something. It’s like a boxer putting on his gloves, or a biker pulling on his helmet.

Step Two: Associate following a ground scent with gaining a food reward. Here’s where one friend can help. The friend walks a distance away, perhaps 50 feet, so you and the dog can still see him. The dog sits by your side on a leash. As your friend walks away, he drops tiny pieces of food treats – pea sized – every pace. This will give the dog a good taste, without filling it up. When your friend stops, tell the dog to “Find it”, or “Find [person’s name]”. Point to the food treat until the dog discovers it. Then do the same with the next treat in line. Pretty soon, the dog will realize there is a line of treats between himself and your friend. He’ll lead you down the trail to the friend. Have the dog sit at the friend’s feet, then immediately give the dog his paycheck for a minute or two.

After several successful attempts, wait a few days for this fun game to percolate through the dog’s thoughts. Next time make it more challenging. The dog should understand that the friend has some tasty treats, and he gets an extra reward when he arrives and waits at the friend’s feet. This time, have the friend walk further and stand behind trees or bushes. The dog can watch him leave, but not see where the friend ends up. The friend should leave a treat-trail, but on every second pace so there is greater distance between the prizes. The dog again sits at your side on a leash. After the friend is out of sight, point to the first treat, and say “Find it!” Once again, the dog will learn to follow the path – this time utilizing your friend’s scent to lead him to the next treat. If the dog gets confused when the friend can’t be seen, continue to say, “Find it!” and point to the next treat. When he “finds” your friend, have him sit at the friend’s feet. Then, payday!Continue reading“Train Your Tracking Dog – Part 2, by Dogdancer”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

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To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. Steadily, we work on meeting our prepping goals. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities. They also often share their planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, property improvements, 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:

We’ve had a very busy week here at the Rawles Ranch. Both Lily and #1 Daughter did a lot of refurbishing work on one last saddle and some left over tack. The standing joke in the American Redoubt is that the most popular “perfumes” used by eligible young ladies to attract future husbands are not Diptyque Vetyverio or Chanel #5. Rather, they are Leather Milk and Hoppe’s #9. Speaking of horse tack repair, I stopped by a nearby farm and ranch store (55 miles away) and bought some replacement bull snaps and brass “finger” lead rope clamps. With those, I’ll be able to repair several lead ropes that had their snaps broken by our Problem Child horse. This is a knot-headed 10-year-old that is notorious for breaking tack. That horse has broken more tack than all of our other horses, combined!

BTW, I prefer the Weaver brand 1″ bull snaps. These are imported from Taiwan (Free China). I’d prefer to find some that are American made, but at least these aren’t made in some Mainland China prison factory. The Weaver bull snaps are quite sturdy and don’t seem to break as easily as the alleged “heavy duty” snaps that come on the ready-made horse leads.

On that same trip, I bought a lawn mower for Lily. We don’t have a “lawn” here per se, but we do need something to mow down the weeds between the raised beds in our gardens, and to mow around the fruit trees in our orchard. With a proper shrouded gas mower, there will be less risk of killing a sapling. (All it takes is a moment of inattention, and you can “ring” a small tree with a weed eater. That is a costly mistake!) Yes, Jim, Lily here, commenting on Jim’s section of the preps; Our weedwhacker gave up it’s ghost this spring, and I had accidentally ringed an apple sapling, with it, last summer, oops! It survived, though.)

I also stopped by our local Les Schwab tire center, and had the studded snow tires on our pickup truck switched out for the summer rubber. (We keep both sets mounted on rims.) That pickup rarely leaves the ranch, but to do summer hauling, we need regular all-season tires, to stay legal on paved public roads in the summer.

We’ve also been doing a lot of Spring Cleaning around the place.  But Lily can fill you in on that.

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

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”.  Today, we focus on the U.S. Army’s “new” Retro Class A Uniform.

The Beehive Thieves

Reader C.B. sent this from National Geographic: Beekeepers hit hard by thefts of hives.

Dennis Prager on College Indoctrination

The recent essay by Dennis Prager is well worth reading: Coming Home From College. JWR’s Comments: Prager has it right. It is very clear that America’s high schools are liberal/statist indoctrination centers, and that our colleges and universities are now advanced indoctrination centers. Unless your kids have tremendous maturity and discernment, after you have home schooled them to a 12th grade level, I recommend that you tell them:  “It is better to learn a trade and then start your own business. But if you insist that you need a degree, then work for a few years, and save money so that you can go to college, and come out of it debt free.”  By starting college at 23 instead of at 19, they will be far more ready to perceive propaganda when it is pushed at them.

Some Sauna Health Confirmation

A link that ties in to a recent SurvivalBlog article on Scandinavian home saunas was sent by Reader H.L.: Confirmed: Sweating Removes Deadly Chemicals From The Body.Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the Lord:

Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.

My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.

This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.

t is of the Lord‘s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.

It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.

It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.

He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.

He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.

He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach.

For the Lord will not cast off for ever:

But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.

For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.

 To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth.

To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High,

To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not.

Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?

Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?

Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?

Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord.

Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.

We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned.

 Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.

Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through.

Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people.

All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.

Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction.

Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.

Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission.

Till the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.

Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city.

Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause.

They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me.

Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off.

I called upon thy name, O Lord, out of the low dungeon.

Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.

Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.

O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.

O Lord, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause.

Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me.

Thou hast heard their reproach, O Lord, and all their imaginations against me;

The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day.

Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their musick.

Render unto them a recompence, O Lord, according to the work of their hands.

Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them.

Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the Lord.” –  Lamentations 3:18-66(KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — May 10, 2019

May 10, 2019 is the 150th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad, where the golden spike was pounded in Promontory, Utah at the meeting of the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads in their railroad building race.

Transportation and distribution of goods, even those items shipped from China to the U.S. west coast and carried as far as the Atlantic coast on rail, was a significant accomplishment those 15 decades ago. Since then, our train network has greatly expanded throughout the U.S., and we are still quite dependent upon it for goods today.

Though our trains are no longer run on coal, they are now dependent upon electronic systems, which may be EMP vulnerable. This is just one of the many reasons we, as preppers, store necessities and prepare to make our own. We know that even our trains are vulnerable, and without them life would drastically change. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, in 2015 an estimated $623 Billion of goods were transported by train within the United States, not including goods that merely passed through the U.S. from foreign countries with destinations to other foreign countries.

My branch of the Rawles family came out to California by covered wagon via the Donner Pass, 14 years before the golden spike was driven. Some of the manufactured family heirlooms that I inherited surely came out west via the transcontinental railroad. But according to family lore, the piano that our daughters still play (made circa 1900) came to California round The Horn, via a sailing ship. There were still sailing cargo ships in service up until about 1920.

May 10th is also the birthday of the late Col. Jeff Cooper (born 1920, died September 25, 2006). He is often quoted in SurvivalBlog.

And May 10th is also the birthday of the late Janis Pinups (born 1925, died 15 June 2007). He was one of the last of the Forest Brothers anti-communist resistance fighters. He came out of hiding, after five decades, to obtain a Latvian passport in 1994, after the collapse of eastern European communism. (He was never issued any communist government identity papers and by necessity lived as a nonexistent ghost during the entire Soviet occupation of Latvia.)

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 82  of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 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 Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  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. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  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 82 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.

Train Your Tracking Dog – Part 1, by Dogdancer

3

January 2017, about 3:30 a.m. on a moonless sub-freezing night – and I sure didn’t want to get out of a warm cozy bed. The nervous tapping of the inside-dog’s nails on the floor echoed as he paced around the dark bedroom. Something was bothering him. When I listened, I could hear the distant sound of the outside-dog’s repeating slow bark – the same alert he gave whenever Granny stepped out of her house.

Granny, 84, lived in a home situated over a small rise about 500 feet from our house, deep in the rural Ozark Mountains. Elderly, forgetful, hard-of-hearing, arthritic, and independent, she lived by the sun – up at dawn, and tucked into bed at sunset.   The outside-dog, a thick-coated Collie, had assigned himself a single job: barking in a leisurely manner whenever Granny opened her front door. That’s what he was doing now. Surely, Granny wouldn’t go outside in the middle of the night in this weather!

I dressed slowly, grumbling. I bundled up in a heavy jacket, hat, and warm boots. The inside dog watched and waited, knowing he was going to get a jaunt outside. This dog was new to us – somebody had dumped him on our rural roadway about a month before. He arrived starving and bewildered. We already had several dogs, and didn’t need another one, especially a big, solid black Pitbull x Labrador Retriever x Something Else mix.Continue reading“Train Your Tracking Dog – Part 1, by Dogdancer”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

9

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. And it bears mention that most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at how the Swedish government is urging citizens toward  hoarding cash. (See the Economy & Finance section.)

Precious Metals:

We’ll start of today’s E&I column with this from Zero Hedge: More Trouble in Mexico: Second Largest Silver Mine Suspends Operations.
o  o  o

Gold Jewellery Demand Peaks Four-Year High in Q1, 2019

Economy & Finance:

The Times (of London) reports: Sweden, nation that pioneered living without cash, warns: Hoard your banknotes. Here is an interesting quote:

“Everyone in Sweden has been urged to stockpile coins and banknotes in case the country’s move towards a cashless society leaves them without money in a cyber-crisis. In a move that will sound alarm bells in the UK, Sweden — one of the most advanced nations for digital payments — has warned that its people could be unable to buy anything if its computer networks were put out of action.

The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, an arm of the government, has sent guidance to every home telling residents to squirrel away “cash in small denominations” in case of emergencies ranging from power cuts or technology glitches to terrorism, cyber-attacks by a rogue government or war.”

o  o  o

Federal Reserve Vetoes Cain and Moore. The article begins with words that echo my own assessment of the Federal Reserve banking cartel:

“If you ever had doubts just who is squarely in charge of the finances for the debt created U.S. Dollar currency, the nixing of Herman Cain and Stephen Moore for the Federal Reserve Board confirms that the Banksters are the real power. The Shadow Government is truly the elitists behind monetary hegemony that rules over government and economic policies.”

o  o  o

Leftist Activists Force Mastercard to Vote On Blacklisting The “Far Right”

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — May 9, 2019

Iyar 5th in the Jewish calendar (which this year falls on May 9th in the standard western calendar) is Yom Ha’atzmaut — Israel Independence Day.

On May 9th, 1945, Herman Goering– commander in chief of the Luftwaffe, president of the Reichstag, head of the Gestapo, prime minister of Prussia, and Hitler’s designated successor– was taken prisoner by the U.S. Seventh Army in Bavaria. Goering, who was addicted to painkillers due to a wound, was instrumental in creating concentration camps for political enemies. It was Goering who ordered the purging of German Jews from the economy following the Kristallnacht program in 1938, initiating an “Aryanization” policy that confiscated Jewish property and businesses. Tried and convicted at the Nuremberg trials, he was sentenced to hanging, but before he could be executed he committed suicide by swallowing a cyanide tablet he had hidden from his guards.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 82  of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 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 Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  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. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  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 82 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.

It is Planting Time – Part 3, by L.R.

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(This installment concludes the 3-part article series.)

In Part 2, we discussed the variety of foods you may want to plant when vegetable gardening. Plant what you like to eat, but also be aware that different foods have different caloric content. If you want to preserve food as a hedge against a grid down, you may want to grow a variety of high calorie foods like corn, beans, potatoes and peas. We also looked at two popular methods of preserving food, freezing and canning (although you may want to experiment with dehydrating and pickling as well).

Additional Thoughts

If you already garden, this article will have seemed basic, even shallow to you. You have as much or more experience than I do… and I could probably learn from you. But if you have little or no experience, then the one thing I leave you with is if you decide you want to raise your own food, then get to it! Don’t wait. Gardening requires a learning curve. It’s not quite as easy as planting a few seeds in the ground and harvesting watermelons next month.

Stuff happens, things go wrong and you have to back up and try again – and the weather will not wait. I’m high on talking to others with experience because they become a ready source for what to do when things do go wrong. And, gardeners in your area will readily relate to what foods grow best in the soil around you, the best times to plant what vegetables, and how to take care of gardening problems.

Who can you get to plow and till that 20′ x 30′ garden plot you’ve decided to have? Pretty hard to do that with a spade. What do you do when cut worms invade your tender squash plants only a few inches high and they all die overnight? Ever heard of red spider mites, shy bugs, cabbage caterpillars? These common garden pests are ready to completely destroy all your hard work unless you know what to look for and how to combat them.Continue reading“It is Planting Time – Part 3, by L.R.”

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”.  Today, we focus on the renaissance of  box beds

A Medieval Box Bed Renaissance?

I recently did some research on home heating alternatives for grid down situations, for a non-fiction preparedness book that I’m now writing under contract for Cartlon Publishing, in England.

One usually overlooked aspect of insulating yourself is the nightly use of a medieval-style box bed or cabinet bed. (In French: “lit-clos”.) Now largely forgotten, these beds create a tiny “house within a house”, that is heated with just your own body heat.

Box beds–typically with sliding doors–are still custom-built by carpenters, but can be expensive. If you are handy with carpentry tools, you can construct your own.  Just keep in mind that they need some ventilation, to avoid asphyxiation.

I found this recent article about a renaissance in box beds: People are Starting to Sleep in Medieval “Box Beds” Again.

Amish-Built House for Rent in S.E. Ohio

I received the following note that I’d like to pass on to the full blog readership. “Jane” wrote:

“I have a beautiful 87-acre farm in Monroe County, in southeast Ohio. I have an extra home, next to my home which was Amish built, so it has no electricity or indoor toilet. It does have indoor sinks, heater, gas and wood stove. I am looking for someone who is interested in living here. We have no cell signal, no chance of 5G, Spring water, beautiful surroundings, gardens, woods, etc. I want to rent it out, or work out the rent in exchange for labor on the house and/or help on the farm. I am not looking to get rich on rent, but I want to find someone truly interested and committed to this [farming] life. I’d prefer to find a hard working, drug free, individual or married couple with Christian morals.”

If interested, contact: janemaarpell@gmail.com

1,000 Guns Seized in Ritzy L.A. Neighborhood

More than 1,000 weapons seized in ritzy Los Angeles neighborhood. JWR’s Comment: “Weapons”? Those mostly look like hunting rifles, to me. If this had happened in The American Redoubt, the headline would be “large gun collection seized”. As usual, the Feds treated the seized guns like garbage. No respect for property nor presumption of innocence…Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“When the leaders choose to make themselves bidders at an auction of popularity, their talents, in the construction of the state, will be of no service. They will become flatterers instead of legislators; the instruments, not the guides, of the people.” – Edmund Burke

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — May 8, 2019

May 8th is the birthday of missionary and U.S. military intelligence officer John Birch. (Born, 1918, died August 25, 1945.) He is considered by many to be the first American casualty of the Cold War.

This is also the birthday of Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 82  of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 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 Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  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. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  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 82 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.

It is Planting Time – Part 2, by L.R.

15

PART 2

In Part 1, my goal was to share with you the value in raising a home vegetable garden, especially if you consider food resupply in a grid down situation. Hopefully, I encouraged you to seriously think about raising your own food and to get started with learning valuable gardening skills. I also wanted you to be realistic in meeting your gardening goals and not to expect perfection especially with your first gardening efforts. In Part 2, I’d like to share some perspective on what vegetables you may want to plant and consider options on how to preserve your harvest for long term storage. Let’s get started.

What to Plant

Again, this is a matter of personal taste and preference… some people don’t like broccoli and brussel sprouts! Plant what you like to eat. Plant what you think you will have time to work, harvest and perhaps preserve using whatever method you decide to use. But I want to offer a perspective; and, this is for those who are really committed to begin gardening with the mind set of growing and preserving food for a long-term, grid down, resupply situation.

I’ve read a lot of articles and watched a lot of videos of gardeners who make much over their lettuce, spinach and tomato crops. “Just look at the size of those green onions,” and, “the carrots are really getting bushy.” All that’s fine, great sources of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients our bodies need. But eating salads in a grid down isn’t going to put a lot of calories in your belly. And, once the summer is over, they will contribute little toward long-term food storage. A desk job five days a week and weekend yard work is one thing; working physically hard 10 or 12 hours a day in a grid down is quite another. You need calories and a lot of them in addition to those salads.Continue reading“It is Planting Time – Part 2, by L.R.”

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. This week the focus is on FoodSaver vacuum packing machines. (See the Gear & Grub section.)

Books:

Recommended by SurvivalBlog reader S.H. in Texas: Letters of a Woman Homesteader, by Elinore Pruitt Stewart. S.H. writes: “The hardships she faced in early 20th Century Wyoming would make many of us lie down and die today (after rifling through a bottle of Prozac!), but through it all, the joy that she experienced from her life is evident. It’s a good, short, read, that reminded me that love of life is not necessarily connected to property and leisure!”

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The Ultimate Dehydrator Cookbook: The Complete Guide to Drying Food, Plus 398 Recipes, Including Making Jerky, Fruit Leather & Just-Add-Water Meals

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Gunsmithing Made Easy: Projects for the Home Gunsmith. Here is a description of the book: “One of America’s foremost experts on gunsmithing, Bryce Towsley here provides the definitive guide for anyone interested in building or maintaining guns. He gives detailed explanations and color illustrations for just about every aspect of gun repair. Featured tutorials include: stock modifications, accuracy enhancement, weather preparation, a total rifle makeover, and much more. Beginning with shop design and maintenance, Towsley builds on the knowledge he provides until ending with directions on rifle building from scratch. For anyone interested in fixing or building guns, Towsley’s book is a complete education from A to Z.”

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Cook Once, Eat All Week: 26 Weeks of Gluten-Free, Affordable Meal Prep to Preserve Your Time & Sanity

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