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”. Leading with a couple of articles on “slingshots” today.

Slingshots!

One of our SurvivalBlog Writing Contest sponsors, Montie Gear, is having a 25% off sale on Slingshot Accessories. If you haven’t looked at this site, you need to. There are some pretty neat slingshots available on his site. I have a friend who recently found himself having to deal with city restrictions on firearms with no help on dealing with roaming critters. His rural community suddenly decided to incorporate and now his .22 can’t be fired in the city limits. You might be surprised how effective a good slingshot can be in this situation. Use the coupon code “july201799”

o o o

Speaking of slingshots, I find myself spending time on Joerg Sprave’s Sling Shot channel on YouTube lately. This guy weaponizes everything from slingshots, to fidget spinners. Slingshot cannons and Cold Steel’s 2.2 lb Torpedo launchers are the norm. Just for fun, a working Minions “fart gun” is one of his latest projects. Many projects are just for fun, but some are deadly serious. After a couple of hours, you may find yourself saying “…let me show you it’s features…ha ha ha!” in your best German accented English.

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The Editors’ Quote of the Day

“Now I will tell you the answer to my question. It is this. The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power, pure power. What pure power means you will understand presently. We are different from the oligarchies of the past in that we know what we are doing. All the others, even those who resembled ourselves, were cowards and hypocrites. The German Nazis and the Russian Communists came very close to us in their methods, but they never had the courage to recognize their own motives. They pretended, perhaps they even believed, that they had seized power unwillingly and for a limited time, and that just around the corner there lay a paradise where human beings would be free and equal. We are not like that. We know what no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it. Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now you begin to understand me.” ― George Orwell, 1984

Preparedness Notes for Monday – July 10, 2017

July 10th is the birthday of British novelist John Wyndham. (His full name was John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris, but Harris shortened that to just John Wyndham for his pen name.) He we was born in 1903 and died March 11, 1969. Harris was a good friend of fellow novelist Samuel Youd (1922-2012), who wrote under several pen names, including John Christopher. Both men were famous for writing what are often called cosy catastrophies. Several of Wyndham’s novels and short stories have been adapted to film, with varying degrees of success. One of the best of these was a parallel universe story called Random Quest.

Taurus Model 85, Ultra Lite, by Pat Cascio

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Today, we are going to take a close look at the Taurus Model 85 Ultra Lite while I continue on with more all-metal handgun reviews, as requested by many SurvivalBlog readers. According to Taurus, which offers several versions of this model, the Model 85 is their best-selling handgun. Many people are so caught-up with polymer handguns, especially semiauto handguns, they are overlooking some outstanding firearms still manufactured out of metals.

An Old Dog

For quite some time, I only considered carrying a revolver for self defense. Yep, I’m old school but I’m not too old to be schooled! You can teach an old dog new tricks. For sure, I owned a lot of semiauto handguns early on, to wit, the outstanding Colt 1911A1 as well as the Browning Hi-Power. And when I was younger, much younger, I would sometimes carry either a 1911 or a Hi-Power while working in private law enforcement, working in plain clothes. I could pretty much carry whatever I wanted.

I hate to admit it, but way back in the day I carried the Hi-Power and the 1911 with a round in the chamber and the hammer lowered on that round. That was stupid! However, it didn’t take me long to realize that carrying that way was not only stupid but very slow to bring the gun into action because the hammer had to be cocked before the gun could be fired.

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Recipe of the Week: Posole, by L.S.

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Posole notes: My husband and I developed a blend of my mother’s tomato-based posole (a hominy-meat soup) that she learned in Mexico and his sister’s red chili-based posole. Neither of those recipes was a written recipe but more a method. My posole is significantly distinct from the other two and is our own creation. I have never printed it before and have not had it copyrighted. I use a church cookbook recipe for the red sauce, but it may be copyrighted. (Use whatever red chili sauce or recipe you have available.) This is a two-day process.

Posole Ingredients

  • 1 large pork shoulder roast (or any pork roast that has a bone in it).

Soup Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp each black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder
  • ¼ tsp each cinnamon, ginger, cayenne, and salt
  • 1 tsp each seasoned salt and lemon pepper seasoning salt
  • 3 tsp regular chili powder
  • dash of Worcestershire sauce
  • ¼ cup red chili-based sauce (like a New Mexico Red sauce)
  • 1 can (16 oz) tomato sauce
  • 2 cans hominy, 25 oz

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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 Nickels. The U.S. five cent piece “Nickel” is the only currently minted U.S. circulating coin that has a metals content close to its face value.  It costs the U.S.  Treasury around 7.2 cents to produce each Nickel. (See the Tangibles section near the end of this column.)


Precious Metals:

First, this from Warren Bevan: Precious Metals Massacre

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Next, at Investopedia: Top 4 Platinum Stocks for 2017 (SBGL, PLG)


Commodities:

Now, on to this headline: Oil prices plummet 3 percent on oversupplied market

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Arthur Berman: The Shale Gas Revolution Is A Media Myth

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Harvest Right: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly – Part 2, by HJL

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The Ugly

Yesterday, I talked about the changes that have been made to the Harvest Right Freeze Dryer in their new model that made it worthwhile to upgrade. We also reviewed some of the annoying things about the unit that make it difficult. Today, I’m going to review some of the “uglier” aspects of this unit. SurvivalBlog holds a high standard when it comes to product reviews. You’re going to get the bad with the good here. If you purchase this unit based upon our reviews, you’re going to know what to expect. I already covered the major changes that Harvest Right made to the new unit. These “uglier” aspects deal mostly with just owning and operating this type of device. Unless otherwise noted, it applies to both the older model and the newer model.

The Elephant In The Room – Price

Let’s get this out in the open right up front. Most people complain about the price on this machine. But it’s really a matter of perspective. Prior to Harvest Right, you had basically two options: 1) Make your own, or 2) Spend more than $10,000 (and usually closer to $30,000) for one of comparable capability. Is price really an issue then? If you purchase this unit at full Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Pricing, you will still be paying less than half of what any other freeze drying unit I’ve found costs. Sure, we want it all. I’d love to have the capabilities of this unit for the price of a good kitchen appliance. I don’t think that’s being very realistic.

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Letter Re: Food Storage Expiration

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Hugh,

First, let me share a little background. I spent 20 years in the industrial labeling area, putting labels on everything from small engines to processed food.

This experience has given me a critical eye on the expiration dates printed on consumer packaging. I can tell you that the production people, the ones sweating on the packaging lines, are very concerned about the safety of what they are working on. Most of them consider the dates they have to put on the cans, jars, boxes, et cetera as a joke. They know that the packaging they are sending down the line is good for decades.

With apologies to the bulk packaging/home canning advertisers, I feel you just cannot, in a home kitchen setting, match the quality of an industrial kitchen run by professionals. Is it “over cooked?” Maybe, but it is safe. (If you are canning home grown stuff, go for it! I grew up on that kind of thing.)

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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”. Since today seems to be all about food storage and/or freeze dried food, we’ll lead with that.

Freeze Dried Food in Your Luggage

Mother Earth News ran a short info-article on some of the benefits of traveling with freeze dried food in your luggage. As today’s article talked about, it gives you the ability to have healthy snacks and meals that you actually like. No more living off of restaurant or fast food. They also don’t tend to go bad on you. It’s easy and if you make your own, it’s no big deal or expense. Note that they are selling products on this page, but the information on this page is good.

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Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: for this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.” Romans 11:25-32 (KJV)

Harvest Right: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly – Part 1, by HJL

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Intro

Three years ago I reviewed Harvest Right’s Freeze Dryer (Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3). Since then, Harvest Right has updated their freeze dryer with many improvements and new features. SurvivalBlog felt is was time to re-visit this subject and update the review based upon these new and improved features. We’ll also include many of the operating tips that we have learned along the way. We’ve been running the new model of the freeze dryer (FD) for almost a year now, right along side the old model. It made the comparison very easy on the new features.

The Good

Harvest Right has obviously been responsive to their user base. They’ve listened to the issues, made improvements that the users have suggested, and incorporated many of their customer’s suggestions into the redesigned FD. The original model that we reviewed had a matte black finish and looked like an industrial machine. While it sat on my kitchen counter for most of a year while we profiled it, it was ugly. It also stood out like a sore thumb with every guest to our house immediately attracted to it.

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The Editors’ Preps for Week

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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 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 also welcome you to share your planned activities for increasing personal preparedness in the coming week. (Leave a Comment with your project details.) Let’s keep busy and be ready!  This week’s focus is on NOLO Bait.

JWR

Dear SurvivalBlog Readers,

This has been a very busy and hot week for us here in the American Redoubt.

A Camping Outing

We had a marvelous time with our friends camping during this past weekend. It was a somewhat primitive campground, located on the shores of a reservoir. We didn’t have any running water, nor toilet facilities, nor power. We brought our own well water for drinking and for hygiene from home. Cooking was done both over a fire in cast iron pans and over a propane stove; Beef stew, pancakes, sausage and eggs were cooked over the fire.

The children and adults swam, fished, and went rock hounding and collected driftwood. Children played board games while the adults talked about world and spiritual issues. A 30″ Northern Pike was caught. Jim gutted and cleaned it, and our friend cooked it over the campfire in coconut oil and a mixed Cajun seasoning. It was quite tasty. The children, surprisingly, really enjoyed it. Some of us took a hike to identify the local edible plant species that will be producing their abundant fruit during the next weeks.

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