From Piglets to Bacon- Part 4, by Animal House

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I’m a grandmother who has raised her own small livestock and grown two female piglets into full grown hogs. This is my story. In the first three parts of this series, I have told how I began raising pigs, the selection process I went through, preparing their pen and securing them, growing them, and my plan for butchering them. The process didn’t go exactly as expected, and I’m in the midst of telling you what actually ended up happening and what I learned along the way.

Butchering (continued)

Butchering is something I have never done so I was flying blind. With my book next to me, I tried to follow the step-by-step directions. Several hours later, by the time I got both sides divided into legs, loin, hams, ribs, belly, and sides as well as the spine and trotters cut, I was exhausted. We put the parts into clean hunting bags and put them in two coolers. Even though the overnight temperature would be in the 30s, we covered everything with ice and transported the coolers up to the garage using the UTV for the next day’s processing and packaging effort.

Size

Most hogs are processed at 200 or 225 pounds; my hogs were over 400 pounds. So when I say “shoulder”, it was two hour’s work to cut one into smaller, more normal size portions and then process and wrap those in freezer paper. I cut the Boston butt into three portions. I deboned most of the shoulder chops and loin, as I was saving the bones for bone broth. The pork tenderloin on this hog was 23 inches long and over four inches in diameter, and I cut it into portions for my family size. I divided the ribs and left an extra thick layer of meat on them. Then I had to figure out how to cut the pork belly for bacon. This took more time, because I was constantly referring to my book. The book now has well-greased fingerprints and slighty pink spots on many of the pages.

Continue reading“From Piglets to Bacon- Part 4, by Animal House”

Letter: Homesteaders with Livestock in Harsh Winter Climates

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Hugh,

As with so many of us who have livestock and live in regions where cold winter temperatures pose a challenge in keeping water troughs thawed. For so many of us the default has been to place a 1000 – 1500 watt heater in the stock tank which does a wonderful job. However, when you have many pens of animals and therefore many stock tank heaters, you can almost watch the electric meter spin as your electric bill increases day by day. At one time I wrapped several of our large 300 gallon galvanized tanks with a flexible foam material and covered much of the top with a board leaving a space for animals to drink from. This did reasonably well but posed some challenges when it came time to clean the tank.

Submerged Aerator

One day as I looked out into our backyard, which has a pond with a submerged aerator, I came up with an idea. The stream of bubbles from the aerator keep the pond from completely freezing over leaving a central open area. I then decided to apply that principal to our tanks. While I first tried a farm wide system with a single large air pump and a set of distribution air lines, I have more recently gone to placing an inexpensive (about $12) aquarium pump in an enclosed, protected container near each tank with air lines and stones submerged on the bottom of the tank.

Continue reading“Letter: Homesteaders with Livestock in Harsh Winter Climates”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

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Here are the latest 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 JWR. (SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor.) Today’s focus is on the Jerome Powell Appointment as the new Chairman of the Federal Reserve. (See the Economy and Finance section.)

Precious Metals:

GFMS: Gold Prices Could Hit $1,500 An Ounce In 2018

o  o  o

Gold loses its lustre as investors turn to stock markets

 

Stocks:

Icahn: The market will one day ‘implode’ because of these wacky funds using so much leverage

o  o  o

Over at Alt-Market.com, economist Brandon Smiths asks (and answers): Is A Massive Stock Market Reversal Upon Us?

Commodities:

No bull market ahead for commodities, Wells Fargo says

 

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“A hundred and fifty years before, when the parochial disagreements between Earth and Mars had been on the verge of war, the Belt had been a far horizon of tremendous mineral wealth beyond viable economic reach, and the outer planets had been beyond even the most unrealistic corporate dream. Then Solomon Epstein had built his little modified fusion drive, popped it on the back of his three-man yacht, and turned it on. With a good scope, you could still see his ship going at a marginal percentage of the speed of light, heading out into the big empty. The best, longest funeral in the history of mankind. Fortunately, he’d left the plans on his home computer. The Epstein Drive hadn’t given humanity the stars, but it had delivered the planets.” – James S.A. Corey, Leviathan Wakes

Preparedness Notes for Thursday – February 08, 2018

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On February 8th, 1910, the Boy Scouts of America was incorporated. For 100 years, the BSA stood as a strong bulwark of conservative, libertarian, moral values. They successfully united boys from diverse backgrounds, different religions, and different ethnicities – uniting them based upon the principles required for a boy to become an upstanding man. The BSA was attacked from all sides for their righteous stance and even persevered and won their case (Boy Scouts v. Dale, 2000) in the Supreme Court. Sadly, they have in recent years caved from within. Their desire to fill the executive board with powerful industry executives, like Randall Stephenson (CEO of AT&T) and James Turley (CEO of Ernst & Young), have brought this once great institution to its knees. They have conceded the high ground on moral issues. Regardless, the first edition of the Boy Scouts handbook, 1911 is one of the prepper’s classic friends.

My Eagle Scout award still holds meaning to me, but its value is not because of what the BSA now represents; it holds value because of my hard work and what the institution once represented. – HJL

o o o

SurvivalBlog 2005-2017 Archive – Greatly Expanded!

It’s finally here! We have the archive memory sticks in our hands! Sadly, the U.S. Postal Service is dragging their feet , so we don’t yet have all of the shipping supplies required to get them out. We are now taking pre-orders so that you can reserve your copy. We hope to be shipping next week. The archive is only available on USB drive this year. This is because the download would be so large and unwieldy that unless you have a high speed connection, it would be problematic. Gone also is the DVD version as the archive is now so large that it would now require a dual layer DVD (or two DVD disks). In addition, the SurvivalBlog logo is now laser etched on the waterproof thumb drive rather than silk screened, for durability. You can order your copy on the product page or simply click on the ad in our ad stack.

We will accept PayPal, credit cards, checks drawn on a U.S. bank, or postal money orders. Be aware that if you pay by Postal Money order or check, it will delay the shipping of your USB drive until the check or money order clears. (Up to three weeks, because of mail forwarding.) If you choose to pay by PayPal or credit card, you will be sent to PayPal’s site to complete the transaction. Once on their site, use the blue button to pay with your PayPal account or the gray button to pay with a credit card. Note that you do not have to have, or create, a PayPal account in order to pay with a credit card. (Although PayPal will try really hard to get you to set one up.)

The new 2005-2017 Archive is greatly expanded, with more than 30 additional bonus books. These sticks are already selling quickly.  They are priced at just $19.95 plus a flat postage/packaging/handling rate of $4 in the 50 States (or to APO/FPO addresses) whether you order one of them, or a dozen. The international postage rate is $14, also flat rate.

Last year, the limited edition of 1,000 waterproof sticks sold out in less than three weeks. We aren’t limiting it this year, but all orders are on a “first come, first served” basis. So order yours, soon!

Continue reading“Preparedness Notes for Thursday – February 08, 2018”

From Piglets to Bacon- Part 3, by Animal House

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I am a grandmother who decided to raise her own small livestock, including pigs, and then to butcher them. This is my story. In the first two parts of this article series, I have already written about selecting and growing the pigs as well as told my plan for butchering two female hogs.

Slaughtering and Butchering (continued)

I laid out my plan in the last part of this article series and included the specific tools and materials required. I expected to complete the whole process of killing, cleaning, butchering, and packaging within two and half days or a max of three days. Now, let’s find out what really happened.

Reality

In real life not everything goes according to plan. Since this was my first time harvesting a 400+ pound animal, I had no idea what the alternative was. I had to be flexible.

The Actual Killing and Moving Experience

First, my son shot the hog near the gate, but it died in the mud behind two pine trees. We could not get the tractor close enough to pick up the hog or chain it to the bucket. Plan B was to get my smaller farm utility vehicle with the winch and pull the hog out to a clearing where we could use the tractor to get it up to the barn. This worked well. I was so happy that I had the UTV. It saved the day.

Continue reading“From Piglets to Bacon- Part 3, by Animal House”

Letter: Scarlet Fever Warning

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Dear Mr. Rawles,

We just returned from a trip to our local urgent care clinic with our two-year old. He has had a fever of 102ish for over four days. Much to our surprise, he was diagnosed with scarlet fever. My wife and I were concerned with the flu or other related complications when he first became ill. We were not at all on the watch for scarlet fever. However,  his fever completely subsided on Sunday and his energy returned. But we found find him returning to be ill again today with a fever over 102.5. We thought it best to get him into the clinic ASAP.

We both completely missed the telltale sign of the rash which accompanies scarlet fever’s other symptoms, because I had a recent bout with poison oak on my forearms and thought I had transferred it to him on accident.

So when we Google searched the topic, we found out just today a little seven-year old girl died of scarlet fever with the flu in Indiana, and the UK is reporting the highest number of scarlet fever outbreaks since the 1960s.

Continue reading“Letter: Scarlet Fever Warning”

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 “HJL”. If you haven’t built a tape measure antenna before, you need to read this article today. It’s a great way to retire those old tape measures.

Jobs and Drugs

Reader H.L. sent in this article on how thousands of jobs in Ohio are going unfilled because potential employees can’t pass a drug test. While the manufacturing industry is expanding right now, the growth is stunted due to lack of a qualified work force (or perhaps lack of a sober workforce). H.L. adds:

“It is not just Ohio. Here in Connecticut, our long time electrician cannot find an apprentice. Either they do not want to learn/work and/or they cannot pass a drug test! Across much of America parents think their children need to go to four year college to learn a “white collar” skill. They often come out with a useless degree and lots of debt. The electricians, plumbers, and various “trades” pay really well and there is always work. Parents would be wise to expose both boys and girls at a young age to mechanical toys, etc. and see if they have interest in working with their minds and their hands. Add exposure to robotics and IT and their young adult might just be able to make a good living.”

Tape Measure Antenna

Reader P.S. reported that at his Ham Radio meeting over the weekend, his club made these $20 antennas out of PVC and sections of a metal tape measure. He was testing it from home and was impressed at how well it worked, even with his cheapest hand-held radio. He plans to make a few more just in case of an emergency. There is also a video.

Baseball Bats and Nail Guns

With the recent article and discussion on gun control on SurvivalBlog in mind, reader DSV sent in this article on how Australian citizens are arming themselves to protect those they love. They are forming citizen militias, but since they can’t arm themselves with firearms, they are using baseball bats, nail guns, paint-ball guns, brass knuckles and steel pipes. It seems a bit like Mad Max, but when you have nothing else, you use what you have. Anything is better than nothing and attitude is one of the most important aspects of self defense.

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“A free people ought not only to be armed, but disciplined; to which end a uniform and well-digested plan is requisite; and their safety and interest require that they should promote such manufactories as tend to render them independent of others for essential, particularly military, supplies.” – George Washington

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday – February 07, 2018

On this day in London, Benjamin Franklin published An Imaginary Speech in defense of American courage. The speech was intended to counter an unnamed officer’s comments to Parliament that the British need not fear the colonial rebels, because “Americans are unequal to the People of this Country [Britain] in Devotion to Women, and in courage and worse than all, they are religious.” Franklin’s response included his usual wit and acuity.

February 7th, 1867, is also the birthday of Laura Ingalls Wilder (died February 10, 1957). SurvivalBlog highly recomends the Laura Ingalls Wilder books which are awesome books as well as her biography.

Continue reading“Preparedness Notes for Wednesday – February 07, 2018”

From Piglets to Bacon- Part 2, by Animal House

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This is my story, as a retired grandmother of raising small livestock and our experience of going from piglets to bacon. In part one, I shared about preparing the pen, selecting the piglets, and basically getting them set up and situated in their new space. But after that, it was time for them to grow.

Growing the Piglets

When the girls were young, we fed them twice a day. They got a varying mixture of healthy non-GMO swine pellets, soy meal, fresh eggs, and hot oats on cold days, any table scraps that the rabbits and chickens didn’t get, and all the acorns and pine cones they wanted.

When they got to about 150 pounds, we fed them once a day. We increased the amount of feed as they grew. And at about 200 pounds, we introduced cracked corn to their diets. This seemed to help them feel satisfied. Plus, it increased the protein percent and fattened them up.

Predators

I was worried about predators, such as bobcats and a pack of coyotes that might target the young pigs. These concerned me, as they would occasionally run through my property. The youngsters only got out of their enclosure once– when they lifted the gate off its hinges. In this instance, the chain held on the lock side, but farm gates only weigh about 50 pounds (depending on width). So, the girls (who weighed about 125 pounds at that time) were out exploring for a while until the dogs began barking and we went running to shoo them back to their enclosure. After that, we locked down the hinge side so we would not have that excitement again.

Continue reading“From Piglets to Bacon- Part 2, by Animal House”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

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Here are the latest 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 JWR. (SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor.) Today’s focus is on the recent market turmoil.

Stocks, Cryptos, and Gold (Market Turmoil):

The top seems to have come off the equities markets in the last few days. This pretty well wiped out all of the gains since January 1st. (I hope that folks took my advice of placing stop loss orders!) Be ready for more volatility. And meanwhile, Bitcoin and the other cryptos have lost about 50% of their value since their high point, a month ago. Once again, gold seems to be a stable safe haven. When I checked on Monday, spot gold was up 1.57% in the past 30 days. But I still think that silver is the under-priced bargain.

o  o  o

Janet Yellen calls stock market, real estate valuations ‘high’ in last interview before exit as Fed chief. (Note: This has CNBC’s usual annoying auto-start video.)

Commodities:

Next, over at Platts: Oil futures fall as Dow Jones Industrial Average plunges

 

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

JWR’s Recommendations of the Week

Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. This week the focus is on NORB  range bags. (See the Gear section.)

Books:

The Prepper’s Cookbook: 300 Recipes to Turn Your Emergency Food into Nutritious, Delicious, Life-Saving Meals. By the way, this book is from Ulysses Press–the folks who publish my novel Patriots.

o o o

Finally!  A “self-help” style book backed by some conservative, religiously-grounded common sense has made it into Amazon’s Top Ten. (It was ranked #1 on Amazon, the last time I checked.) The book is titled: 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos.

Movies:

This film has been mentioned before, and I’ll probably mention it (deservedly) again: The Patriot.

o o o

And this is a classic shoot-’em-up drama, from masterful writer/producer John Milius: Dillinger. (Finally available on BluRay!)

Continue reading“JWR’s Recommendations of the Week”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“A classic 1929-style [stock market] crash starts with a deep, fast decline. Then comes a recovery of about half the decline, which draws in ‘buy the dip’ investors, fresh meat for the monster ahead. It’s a quick gulp of fresh air before the real crash begins, the Big One, stair-stepping down for a couple of years until it bottoms at a small fraction of the peak, exhausted and depleted. While this probably isn’t the Big One, it could be the initial fracture, or it could be something like the -21% quick correction of 1987.

Will the Big One happen this year? My guess is yes. It’ll rival the Fall of Rome, the Destruction of Carthage, the Black Plague and Al Gore combined. When this huge bubble of insolvent malfeasance ruptures it will be an unstoppable, bloody carnage smashing everything in its path and the birds overhead” – Ol’ Remus, in his Yer Ol’ Woodpile Report blog

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday – February 06, 2018

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Ronald Wilson Reagan was born on February 6th, 1911. He was an American politician and actor, who served as the 40th President of the United States from 1981 to 1989. Prior to his presidency, he served as the 33rd Governor of California from 1967 to 1975, following a career as an actor and union leader in Hollywood. Reagan implemented sweeping new political and economic initiatives. His supply-side economic policies, dubbed “Reaganomics”, advocated tax rate reduction to spur economic growth, control of the money supply to curb inflation, economic deregulation, and reduction in government spending. In his first term he survived an assassination attempt, escalated the War on Drugs, and opposed public-sector labor unions.

Continue reading“Preparedness Notes for Tuesday – February 06, 2018”