Mid-Scale Grain Gardening in Alaska- Part 3, By Alaskan Gardeners

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My wife and I are convinced we need to pursue self sufficiency, and a large part of that is food self sufficiency, including providing our own protein, vegetables, and grain. I’m writing about our family’s grain gardening and am in the midst of detailing our crop operations. We’ve gone over soil preparation, planting, and reaping. Let’s now continue with drying.

Reaping and Drying (continued)

Mild fall weather during harvest time as shown in Figure 3 is unusual in the Copper River Valley, Alaska. It’s usually cold and sometimes wet; we had three inches of snow on the ground during our first harvesting year. So it is frequently necessary to dry the harvested grain before threshing. Also, peas harvested for shelling must be dried before threshing.

Constructing Drying Trash

I constructed 43 drying trays to accomplish this purpose. Construction details are shown in Figures 4 and 5. The wood is finished 1” X 2” lumber. The floors are made of galvanized ½” mesh hardware cloth. One exception is that the floor of three trays are ¼” galvanized hardware cloth; these trays serve the dual purpose of also screening grain as shown in Figure 13. All pieces are attached with screws, for strength.

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Letter: Neutron Shielding for Fallout Shelters

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Hugh and Jim,
I was recently reading a book on nuclear reactors. I learned that iron can be used in concrete to provide neutron shielding. The iron slows the fast neutrons down to thermal levels that can be easily absorbed in the concrete. I also mine my own gold. As a byproduct of my mining, I have buckets of magnetite and hematite iron ore sand. The magnetite ore I sell to a local blacksmith for making steel. The hematite I’ve found no use for until now. I can use this black sand in place of silica sand in the concrete to provide neutron shielding for the temporary bomb shelter I’m building at my primary residence. Magnetite is Fe3O4 and is magnetic, and hematite is Fe2O3 and non-magnetic. Both comprise the black sand in the gold pan. So talk to your local gold miners about obtaining their black sands. – D.W.

JWR Replies: That is a useful idea, but perhaps it is more labor intensive than necessary. The main thing to remember about stopping the most energetic forms of radiation (neutron, x-ray, and gamma) is that the lack of quality of any particular type of shielding can be made up for with quantity. If in doubt, add thickness. With neutron radiation, it is water that is the best shielding. So damp soil works just fine. So does concrete, because it holds moisture for many years. Iron or steel actually stops gamma rays better than they do neutrons. My advice: Construct a deep shelter (my favorite is a dual purpose shelter and root cellar) with at least four feet of soil on all sides and overhead.  Six feet would be great. If you live in a region with sandy soil, then the soil should be kept dampened during times of high international tensions, for the best shielding.

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”. California fires are continuing to flare up. The latest is the Skirball Fire, that caused a grid-down event in West LA.

Stalingrad

Brad Schaeffer, over at The Daily Wire, has started a series on a front of World War II that shaped Russia and created a paranoid, meddlesome nation that President Ronald Reagan called evil. Most Americans seem to think World War II started on December 7, 1941 and reached its pinnacle on June 6th, 1944. (Europeans tend to remember rather more.) To put the Battle of Stalingrad in perspective, even at the height of the the West’s war on Germany (including North Africa) we faced 175 Wehrmacht Divisions. The Red Army faced over 600 Wehrmacht Divisions. During the Battle of the Bulge, the Allies lost 100,000 soldiers. But that was almost a daily loss for the Russians. It’s promising to be a good series.

Facism – Right or Left?

I’ve been irritated at the media for some time for buying into the concept that fascists are from the “right”. PragerU has a video out now that discusses the little known history of the fascist movement – Something the Left would rather keep forgotten. Even Obama has called President Trump a fascist and has likened him to the early stages of the Nazis in the 1930s despite the fact that Obama’s own presidency had more of a resemblance than any other, in recent history. Nope. Sorry. Fascism is clearly a leftist movement. The next time you hear “far right”, remember the whole point of that is to liken a conservative or a libertarian to the abomination of fascism. It is a lie. Remind them who originated the movement: socialists.

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The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“Today I am delivering. I’ve judged this course of action to be in the best interests of the United States of America and the pursuit of peace between Israel and the Palestinians. This is a long overdue step to advance the peace process. And to work towards a lasting agreement.

‘Israel is a sovereign nation with the right, like every other sovereign nation, to determine its own capitol. Acknowledging this is a fact is a necessary condition for achieving peace. It was 70 years ago that the United States under President Truman recognized the state of Israel.

‘Ever since then, Israel has made its capitol in the city of Jerusalem, the capitol the Jewish people established in ancient times. Today, Jerusalem is the seat of the modern Israeli government. It is the home of the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset, as well as the Israeli Supreme Court. It is the location of the official residence of the prime minister and the president. It is the headquarters of many government ministries.

‘For decades, visiting American presidents, secretaries of State and military leaders have met their Israeli counterparts in Jerusalem, as I did on my trip to Israel earlier this year.

‘Jerusalem is not just the heart of three great religions, but it is now also the heart of one of the most successful democracies in the world. Over the past seven decades, the Israeli people have by the a country where Jews, Muslims and Christians and people of all faiths are free to live and worship according to their conscience and according to their beliefs.

‘Jerusalem is today and must remain a place where Jews pray at the Western Wall, where Christians walk the stations of the cross, and where Muslims worship at Al-Aqsa Mosque. However, through all of these years, presidents representing the United States have declined to officially recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capitol. In fact, we have declined to acknowledge any Israeli capitol at all.

‘But today we finally acknowledge the obvious. That Jerusalem is Israel’s capitol. This is nothing more or less than a recognition of reality. It is also the right thing to do. It’s something that has to be done.

‘That is why consistent with the Jerusalem Embassy Act, I am also directing the State Department to begin preparation to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This will immediately begin the process of hiring architects, engineers and planners so that a new embassy, when completed, will be a magnificent tribute to peace.”  – President Donald J. Trump, Dec. 6, 2017

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday – December 06, 2017

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On December 6th, 1865, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, ending the institution of slavery. “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” With these words, the single greatest change wrought by the Civil War was officially noted in the Constitution.

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Mid-Scale Grain Gardening in Alaska- Part 2, By Alaskan Gardeners

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We are continuing on with this article about my wife’s and my journey in mid-scale grain gardening. Yesterday, I explained our reasons for believing it was time to build self-sufficiency, and now let’s move on to the food production part, specifically our grain gardening efforts.

Definition of Mid-Scale Grain Gardening

Grain plots may vary in size, ranging from, at the minimum, a small plot using a rototiller or shovel and rake for soil preparation, hand sowing the grain, reaping with a scythe or sickle, threshing with a flail, and winnowing with a kitchen fan or a windy day. The small-scale plot is very labor and time-intensive per unit of grain harvested, and the total quantity of grain harvested may not meet the needs of a large family. By contrast a commercial operation may utilize hundreds of acres and a heavy investment in machinery (or utilize the services of a commercial harvesting crew). What I wanted was something in-between the minimum and the commercial operation.

Plot Size

I was seeking a grain plot size and the necessary equipment sufficient to, with a large safety margin, produce enough grain for one or more families every year. My grain garden has been about 15,000 plus square feet (roughly ⅓ acre). Normally, this area will produce enough grain each year to provide us with several years of consumption. This mid-scale grain gardening requires more mechanical equipment than the minimum, but it provides the advantages of much larger grain production and a large reduction in physical labor and time per unit of grain harvested, as compared to the minimum.

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Economics & Investing For Preppers

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 Republican Tax Reform Plan.

Precious Metals:

First off, there is this piece by Simon Constable, at U.S. News: If Precious Metals Rally, Then Pick Silver

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Stock Market:

Here is an opinion piece by Avi Gilburt (who is an Elliott Waver): Euphoria is extending the U.S. stock market’s gains
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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 the Old Sneelock series of instructional videos on YouTube.

Books:

I may be biased (since I published it), but I highly recommend this inspirational and truly uplifting book: My Thailand Calling: Following Jesus Cross-Culturally: A Missionary’s Journey On The Frontiers.

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The Survival Medicine Handbook: The essential guide for when medical help is NOT on the way

Movies:

I’ve mentioned this film before, but it bears repeating: 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

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Despite some quite unrealistic injections of 21st Century morality, this movie about WWII resistance operatives is worth watching: Allied.  (Warning: Definitely not one for the kids!)

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The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“America does not go abroad in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She well knows that by enlisting under other banners than her own, were they even the banners of foreign independence, she would involve herself beyond the power of extrication in all the wars of interest and intrigue, of individual avarice, envy and ambition, which assume the colors and usurp the standards of freedom.” – John Quincy Adams

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday – December 05, 2017

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On December 5th, 1964, the first Medal of Honor awarded to a serviceman for action in Vietnam was presented to Capt. Roger Donlon of Saugerties, New York. Captain Donlon and his Special Forces team were manning Camp Nam Dong, a mountain outpost near the borders of Laos and North Vietnam. Just before two o’clock in the morning on July 6, 1964, hordes of Viet Cong attacked the camp. He was shot in the stomach, but Donlon stuffed a handkerchief into the wound, cinched up his belt, and kept fighting. He was wounded three more times, but he continued fighting–manning a mortar, throwing grenades at the enemy, and refusing medical attention.

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Mid-Scale Grain Gardening in Alaska- Part 1, By Alaskan Gardeners

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Food sufficiency is a large part of self sufficiency, so my wife and I pursued mid-scale grain gardening, though our home was in Alaska. Here is our story and how we have done this.

Breakdown of My Article

My article will cover the following:

  • Preamble: Why We All Should Become Increasingly Self-sufficient– The First Steps
  • Definition of Mid-Scale Grain Gardening
  • Crop Operations
  • Reaping and Drying
  • Threshing and Winnowing
  • Scaling Up Harvesting Operations
  • So, What To Do With All This Grain?
  • Disclaimer

Preamble: Why We Should All Become Increasingly Self-sufficient

People’s outlook and actions are largely a product of their experiences, both real and vicarious. My wife and I have spent most of the 23 years prior to 2007 visiting much of the world via sailboat, and our observations have made a big impact on our view of the world.

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SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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Here is SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt. This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. We also mention companies of interest to preppers that are located in the region. The emphasis this week is on Quest Aircraft. (See the Idaho section.)

Region-Wide:

The fourth installment of the ongoing Amrican Redoubt article series at The Sandpoint Reader has been posted. ‘Keeping the faith’ — The role of religion in the American Redoubt.

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Accompanying this article in The Sandpoint Reader is another biographical sketch/interview: The American Redoubt, as told by Alex Barron, ‘The Bard of the American Redoubt’

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SurvivalBlog reader T.Z. sent us a link to this at Zero Hedge:  Mapping The United States Of Welfare. JWR’s Comment:  Just as we have seen with many other maps and charts of national demographics, the American Redoubt region predictably bucks most of the trends.


Idaho (Quest Aircraft)

Here is some news on an outspokenly pro-Christian Idaho airplane manufacturer: Quest expands its facilities.  The company was started as a way to make rough-field capable and amphibious STOL aircraft available to Christian missionaries. Quest Aircraft now employs more than 200 people and is headquartered in Sandpoint, Idaho. Yes, they are hiring!

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Innovation Ammunition Technologies (IAT), in Worley, Idaho is an ammunition maker and also build custom AR-15s, to customer specifications.
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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”. Featured in politics today is a win handed to President Trump on his travel ban. This has been a good week for Trump.

Politics

The supreme court ruled today that President Trump’s travel ban was allowed to go into full effect. Only two justices dissented (Ginsburg and Sotomayor). We’ve pretty much known all along that if the supreme court heard the case they would allow it. It is reassuring to know that there is some rule-of-law still allowed in this country despite the beating it took from the liberal media and lower-level courts. Interestingly enough, the Associated Press and other outlets original misrepresented it as a “Muslim” ban even though Venezuela and North Korea were on the list. Thank you fake news.

Survival Realty

There is a unique east coast listing on Survival Realty that might interest some. One of the 6 homes on Basset Island in Massachusett’s Buzzard Bay is up for sale. It has over 300 feet of shoreline and is on 3.1 acres. Being on an island, it affords rare privacy on the east coast but has full amenities. The listing does include a 21 foot SteigerCraft which you will need to get to the home.

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The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add ‘within the limits of the law’ because law is often but the tyrant’s will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual.” – Thomas Jefferson