The Survival Tribe deals with the harsh (and generally unpleasant) truth about rats.
TEOTWAWKI News Excerpt:
I don’t know about you but there isn’t any other creature I hate more in the world than rats!
They absolutely creep me out.
I mean it’s bad enough dealing with them now when the world is functioning normally but what about AFTER a TEOTWAWKI event???
Starbucks Via CoffeeFor all the coffee drinkers out there, consider adding Starbucks VIA Ready Brew to your pantry. Granted at $.60 each they are not cheap but they have a unique feature that makes them very useful…the “microground” coffee is so finely ground it will dissolve in cold water. This makes VIA perfect for camping and hunting or your B.O.B. / Evac-Pack. You can still make hot coffee too and the beans are ethically sourced and it’s still cheaper than a coffee just about anywhere.
Survival Cache has an excellent article on their “Survival Food Pyramid.”
The Concept
The top of the pyramid is for stocking the smallest amount of food for the shortest amount of time. The idea being that someone who is completely new to prepping can start with a cheap and easy goal and build (downward) from there.
They break it down into four (4) stages or levels:
1. Immediate
2. Extended
3. Long Term
4. Perpetual
We like this organizational concept very much and find this captures our approach both at a global level as well as the individual level. For example, we try to apply the same concept to a Bug-Out-Bag, though on a smaller scale. Same goes for a Vehicle Kit along with our Retreat in general.
Datrex Food BarsDatrex food bars are simply the best product in this category. They are actually quite tasty (and without the lemony flavor common with other bars), they keep for at least five (5) years (though we’ve eaten older ones) and they are well-packaged for a Bug-Out-Bag (now mainstreaming as an “Evac-Pack”). And Nitro-Pak is the best source for Datrex bars – they have the best prices anywhere with excellent service. Each individual bar provides 200 calories while an entire package contains eighteen (18) bars or 3600 calories total. Be alert if purchasing elsewhere as the actual quantity received can be confusing.
Countryside Magazine has a great recipe online for making Real “Whole” Whole Wheat Bread. This is an excellent recipe for anyone using stored wheat such as Hard Red Wheat.
I had made all our bread products for some years but making real whole wheat bread come out nice was a challenge for me. I had gotten pretty reliably good with white bread flour but wanted to transition to whole wheat for health and conscience reasons. Most of the recipes I’ve found say “Whole Wheat Bread” in the title but in fact are usually at least half white flour (and extra gluten) to get a good rise. I wanted easy, plain, cheap, dependable and tasty. The recipe/method I’ve been using for a couple of years now combines tricks from several sources and meets all my requirements. The dough works equally well, to our tastes, for bread, rolls or buns, and pizza.
Very helpful article from SHTF Blog on extending your garden into fall and winter.
WTSHTF News Excerpt:
So, you’ve got your back up food production going strong through June, July and August. (Yes, I mean your garden.) September and chilly nights are here, October and frosts are just around the corner. How are you going to keep food production going for as long as possible? Without spending all your SHTF gold?
On a related note, check out the Four Season Harvest book we recently posted.
Cool Caffeine MintsNot much info beyond the website: “Each package of Cool Caffeine mints contains 10 mints. net weight .35oz. per pack. Unit of sale, 24 packages. USPS Priority shipping included. Only orders for shipment within the U.S. are accepted.” But we just ordered these and will report back asap. The Cool Caffeine mints seem like a great addition to your B.O.B. and also for your vehicles (especially for those of us who do not drink coffee).
PreppingToSurvive was added to our daily reads with this post on prepping snivel items.
TEOTWAWKI News Excerpt:
As preppers, we often focus the vast majority of our attention on the big things- the so-called “bullets, beans, and band-aids.” I want to give a little thought and mention to the more minor things that make daily life easier, but may slip off your mental radar.
Four-Season HarvestThis will be our first winter following these techniques but our initial read of Four-Season Harvest shows it is worth sharing here. The author, Eliot Coleman, travels to the south of France to investigate their methods for growing food year-round. He shows how to use cold frames and simple greenhouses as well as a selection of winter-vegentables that will thrive in almost any climate. The book points out that Maine is on the same latitude (44th parallel) as the south of France, so this approach should be relevant for almost everyone in North America.
