Amish Project

http://news.yahoo.com/90-days-without-cell-phone-email-social-media-015300257.html

A young person who gets it, all this Social Media and online crap is actually hurting each other and our communication skills. My own little experiment over the last 12 months is similar. Now soon I will be doing something very similar, only totally off grid.

Dont take this wrong

to all my unknown followers, sorry just had to share

I just had to share this image, it just made me laugh and giggle.

Sometimes after a day like today, I need a laugh and now you do too!

No Army Surplus Store Improvise

Army Surplus Hardware Store Farmer Store

You don’t have or need an Army Surplus store although they help lots. Now you do have a few other stores there, like the hardware stores or farmers stores, even dollar stores there. Really those stores have just about everything you need as well. You need a BOB (Bug out Bag), Go Bag (normally in car, because it goes with you) DODGE (get out of Dodge bag) which is a full everything bag. Now I suggest at least an alternative to the Car/Van as everything will be blocked by others. So how about bicycles with trailers, motorcycles, ATV’s, all with or without trailers. Relocate to a remote area, join the comunity for no single person or small group can stop the angry hordes of Zombies. Zombies = non Preppers or Survivalists out to steal or kill you for your food. Of course that is in the absolute worse case scenarios. 

look up;
cat can stoves
penny stoves
wood gasification stoves
hobo stoves

Fondue pot sets with the alcohol burner – very good and portable, can also be used in a regular can that is modified
use denatured alcohol – methyl hydrate – high test rubbing alcohol – 90-95% proof buy it by the gallon.

there are your stoves

Fire

matches – regular since they are cheap

matches wind proof

matches water proof

zippy style lighter (remember it evaporates so test it, then keep small bottle of fluid with it)

extra flints – cheap now, get lots

regular lighter

torch lighter

small torch

magnesium fire sticks with strikers

secondary magnesium fire sticks with strikers (yup.. double up)

one handed stickers, just saw them, cheap easy to use, wet-dry-cold

Vaseline/chap stick/

rub onto

cotton balls/dryer lint

put into zip lock bags

> make some char cloth, very easy to do, youtube how to do this

Shelter

cheap poly tarp to start

search for good quality ground sheets

get good quality tarps

get better quality canvas tarps

light portable small good quality tent

look for self contained canvas tents

> I now have 3, a. 10×8 b.10×10 c. 5×5 bell style older camper style

>why, long lasting, great quality, easy to maintain, will not die in the sun in one year, easy to insulate

>cons, little heavier, if you have a vehicle not too bad

Water

2x military water bottles with the cup and holder – a must.. with these and these along you can survive in the wilderness

water purification tabs

water purification units – portable filtration units such as;

>life straws such as http://aquamira.com/preparedness/aquamira-frontier-filter/product-technology

>larger home style filtration units like the Berky or Big Berky

>youtube and instructables.com have info sessions about creating your own Berky style for cheap

>water containers, do not get the little bottles they are not eco friendly and are not safe

>>bigger 3-5gal water containers, big blue and grey barrels

>harvest rainwater -after 2 minutes or so the water is pure, harvest from a tarp or roof, there are lots of devices out there to help, such as rain water diverters.

huge list on water enjoy this link and memorize it, you can live without food, minimum shelter only for up to 30 days but only 3-6 days with no water!

http://www.endtimesreport.com/waterarticle.html

Food

every time you buy food get some extra

> example; I bought some foil packaged portion fish at a store for $3 per bag, got two of them, tasty and long lasting

two weeks later, at dollar store same fish, 4-6yr expiriry, for .99c each, got 50

dehydrated foods

ready to eat meals

MREs – good for about 2-3 meals each package, so they are not too bad then at $8-$10 for one MRE, div by 3 meals

now start making your own ready to eat meals

Tools Knives

Caution; having a bad knife is worse than no knife!

folding blades with NO locks are bad, exceptions are the Swiss Army Knives and Multi tools

> use with caution and I never really use the knife anyways

Knife sharpener system

folding knives over 3″ with a locking blade

5″-8″ regular style fixed blade, full tang as in full metal till the end of the handle (incase you did not know what a full tang meant)

K-bar, kbar awesome US Marine, WWII fighting and utility knife.

Big Bush knife 8″-14″ yup you read it right

cutting down small trees, battoning etc

Kukri Knifes and Kukri Machete.

also spelled Khukuri (gurkha knife)

MTech Kukri knife similar to mine but mine has a wood handle

Custom Makers so support local;

that being said they are also more expensive but if the maker is good, you get what you pay for and more

Cold Steel

MTech similar brand than the  Cold Steel but very good, US company but made in China. I have quite a few of their knives and like them a lot! Have not broken or hurt any of them yet.

MTech is a division of MASTER CUTLERY 

* Hatchets are dangerous!!

> why, top/front heavy so you miss a lot with them, no fulcrum action, many injuries to people especially kids with them

Tomahawks are better and can be used in a Defensive way as well.

Kukri’s are great can be used for most anything, but learning to through one, takes lots and lots of practises. You will ruin you good one, while learning to do this.

Here is an excellent link to a company in Nepal who exports and creates Kukris, follow the link to see some info on how to use and sharpen them.

Tools general

 pry bar

ax

rope

thin gauge wire

lots and lots of bits

Cold Steel Russian Army Spetsnaz Shovel (multi uses from digging to fighting, can also be thrown effectively )

Moe to follow, this will be a work in process, I will also add more images to this later.

Fishing gear small porty
trapping gear small porty
sleeping gear
slingshot/slingbow/take down bow with arrows

Navigation
Silva Compass and maps

Dogs
Dog pack as in Dog Back Pack (mine is a two part system, one part is the pack other part is the harness system)
-> great system, take off the pack for breaks and throw it back on quickly when you need to move out. Keeps the dog fresher and quick apply system keeps your temper under control!

Dog coat/blanket, even they get cold and wet, especially short hair dogs. You make them work, rub them down at night, through on their coat and it can be used as their bed as well for less cold nights
* you have a dog that is asleep, but still able to awake and alert you to the Zombie Hordes
water container/food container
collapseable food bowl or small rigid metal water bowl that nests with the food bowl
-> reason, you can heat up the bowl if the water freezes in cold weather
food, make them carry some of their own food, daily rations at least
fire making kit/first aid kit/utility knfe/bug screen/sun screen
Bicycle
Bike Pack
Bike Trailer
spare tire/spare inner-tubes/wheel change kit/tire patch kit
front rack/back rack
bike with trailer hitch for attaching trailers/sleds/wagons/etc

Vehicle kit
yes your bug out bag, now lets see to the car/vans survival as well
tire repair kit
small porty 12v air compressor
first aid kit
engine oil/transmission oil/wind-shield fluid/brake fluid/

EDIT:
now I have added some stuff that you can not find at a local hardware store, although you can find or order 98% of this stuff from Canadian Tire, maybe there is an Auzzy Tire?
look around and get creative

I forgot I made another post, so here it is for reference and I will merge them and make one big post soon!

http://wildernessreturn.wordpress.com/2012/02/27/bob-food-suggestions/

Tags;
kukri,   Khukuri,  gurkha knife, nepal, original hurkha, knife, knives, cold steel, Mtech, Master Cutlery, machete, hatchet, ax, make bug out bag, no army surplus, answer to no army surplus, water storage, water filtration, water, hardware store, stoves, rocket stove, gasification stove, penny stove, cat stove, survival pack, knife to use, bad knifes, hobo stoves, fondue sets, alcohol burners, alcohol to cook with, harvest, rainwater, Hatchets are dangerous, tarps, shelter, shelter canvas, fire, how to make, simple fire options, k-bar, kbar, us marine, fighting knife, utility knife, utility, fighting, survival, prepping, bob bag, go bag, dodge bag, car kit, car survival bag, bicycle, transportation, dogs, dog pack, dog wagon, dog food, bicycle repair kit, tire repair kit, vehicle repair kit, first aid kit, 12v air compressor, bike rack, front bike rack, bike trailer, bicycle trailer

 

Dehydrator Meat

Saw this post and had to respond to it.

Jerky:

Sorry but I thought this should be separate from the dehydrator thread.
I have just been reading up on making jerky and until today I always thought the meat was pre-cooked. Wouldn’t there be a health risk with drying and eating “raw” meat jerky?

My local store has some cheap beef heart that I was going to try drying.

miss this Dehydrator

Dehydrator jerky is the same as dried jerky.
The drying process was originally done in two ways;
Sun Drying
Smoke drying

Both are a curing, cooking and preservation processes, both remove the moisture and cure the meat. There are variations to the two main ways that were done, you can actually do some very intriguing combinations as well. Both of the main drying processes remove the moisture, moisture and oxygen are the main causes of meat becoming bad.

Bugs and Mold love moisture thus the curing process removes the moisture, cures the meat for long-term storage. Variations on the theme, smoking and creating Bill-tongue (South African delicacy.. give them some and watch them gobble it down). Now as stated there are many ways to preserve the meat, some also include potting in which you fill a jar or container with meat, cooked or uncooked slather the top with 4-10 inches of certain types of fat to keep out the oxygen. Google meat potting.

The Mennonites have a process similar to the bill-tongue meat process, the meat looks like great big salami meat rolls. Salami making is another variation on the drying and processing theme for meat preservation. The Mennonite way of curing the meat is a combination, drying, smoking and cooking process in which the rolls are able to be stored in their final wrap just hanging from the rafters for up to 3-4 years.

Dehydrating jerky is as simple as doing it over the fire, in the Oven or in the actual dehydrator. This has evolved from the labour intensive outdoor sun drying and outdoor food drying although very eco-friendly is labour intensive as you need a 24hr guard to swat away the bugs and keep away the animals.

Buy the way I have had some pre cooked Beef Jerky and would not recommend you go that route so much, it does not taste as good pre cooked. There is also a size variation, in that pre cooked pieces are always much larger than the thinly shaved meat that is pre cut before dehydrating. Dehydrating cooked meat is good however for preserving the meat to be re-constituted later for soups and stews.

One of my fav all time food experiences was paper thing Bison strips, smoked and then put on some thin whole grain fresh bread. Can you say Yummy! So tender, so mouth-watering and surprisingly so filling. When you use the best ingredients you become fuller from the full and rich taste as well as from the quality of the food source.

might add more in later, that is a synopsis.

 

Tags;
tongue, bill-tongue, dehydrator, smoking, curing, meat, cooking, method, sun drying, smoking, Mennonite, way, south african, old way, preservation 

blog retest

Ok, so what is a blog re-test anyways?

Well WordPress is good for somethings and like Facebook they seem to mess it up a lot as well. Today I re-organized the blog, adding and moving links and reference sections around. WordPress somehow will not let me change the format to read a bit then click on the link, in short I want some small blurbs and then you click to read more. 

Well that should be easy right? Wrong! WordPress like Facebook, just decided to change itself one day, now after 15 attempts at making it back to my preffered view of small blocks for each posting, it still will not change. At least the links were working yesterday, up till last week, you had to do the links manually and even then it was hit and miss if they wanted to work or not.

WordPress is great and wonderful and then other times it reminds me of a Teenager, changes for no real reason, does not work when you expect it to, takes lots of persuasion to do simple things, then bam, works other times with no complaints! 

signed Hhhmmmmm wonder what will happen to this and if the post will force it to upgrade itself to the way I want it too.. hmmmmmmph..

 

Review MD Creekmore Blog, The Survivalist Blog dot Net

Today we are going to review MD Creekmore Blog,The Survivalist Blog dot Net

link to the survival blog dot net header

Now let me start off by saying this; there are other blogs out there, there are other groups out there, in fact every week I see reference to yet another group or blog that has popped up. For me there are only the Big 4 and the Canadian Prepper’s Network which is part of the International Preppers Network. As I like politeness any negative or rude comments will be deleted. This will not become a pissing match on any of the blogs or forums, they all have lots to offer.

MD Creekmore the owner and moderator of his blog The Survivalist Blog dot Net has also said the afore-mentioned sentence as well, this has earned my respect for his running of his blog and His Wolf Pack members. Lets start the review by quoting a very recent review that was posted by a new Prepper this week in the weekly Saturday What did you do to prep this week?

Quote “VS

MD and Wolf Pack
Thank you for having this site. I was so over whelmed when I first started prepping that I didn’t know where to start. I reviewed every website I could find but this is by far the most informative site I have found. I now have a plan, have started stocking , and I am learning new skills to help. These suggestions are from YOUR site. Thank you! “

I have seen this same sentiment spoken time and time again, this community of people who come together to help each other on a weekly and sometimes daily basis. One of the unique aspects of the blog is definitely the Reader driven content. As people post what they have done, they also post what they want to do, how they did it, as well as questions about the best way to get along with other people, questions on how to do a chore or task. To some this may sound simple though in reality this topic is rather complex.

Learning curves and information can be as complex and as simple as where to start and what are you prepping for. Everyone will read the post, some answer suggestions, some offer inspiration, some tell of how they did it and more importantly how not to do it. Learn that there is no one survival knife or survival gun or rifle, learn what works in different environments. Learn that most on the blog have actual experience and are not Halo or Call of duty, armchair trained!

Now let me tell you that is a very big relief, and a source of good knowledge in itself. M.D. has actual practical skills and life lessons, others in The Wolf Pack have actual life skills and lessons that they will share. So are all of them Ex military, no not on your life and that is what makes it all work actually. There only tends to be one true bias, that bias is to come together and offer help and assistance.

Want to learn how to make Pemmican or Louisiana Hot sauce, how about how to smoke northern Char? Pop on in to the blog, write the question and by Sunday night there will be plenty of answers, answers from Prepper Granny’s, Prepper Mommas, Ex Jarheads, current military, Ex policemen or lowly field hands that are older than dirt who call themselves Lint Pickers, and these are just a few as well.

Demographics run from mainly US citizens, who yes sort of divide themselves up into East, West, North and South although they all seem to get along. There you will also find Canadians, Australians, Mexicans, some from the Philippines and a host of other countries from across the Big Pond as well. Everyone is welcome, everyone from a Canadian woman who trains her cow to be an ox to an Economists, there is diversity enough to go around. 

This is a very active blog, a blog that is seeking to remain very active in and of itself. You will find daily content of true life situations as well as pure Prepper and Survivalist info in the form of monthly writing contests. I might need to add in here, fresh and original content as well, no recycling from one blog to another, it is not allowed and really since most read at least 2 other blogs and forums, why would you want to do that anyways?

The layout of the blog, is simple and clean with the top Title bar being a nice image with words TheSurvivalBlog.net and two wolves silhouetted over the background image. I have always been a fan of top row links and the main top Title bar image leading to the main page, that is his set-up and it works very well. The main page is divided into 3 columns;

Left – Middle – Right

The Left Column with the exception of two advertisers, see link for advertising http://www.thesurvivalistblog.net/advertise/, is an easy to read navigation area.

Monthly stats on top,

two ads

then links on What is Popular today a database feature that helps others to zero in on what people are searching for.

Next you will find the Survival Categories, these are listed with what seems to be the very top things that people are searching for in answers and stories to assist them on their journey.

Lastly there is a very important Search For:

-> I wish more people used this in every blog or forum, put your question in here and the computer will post the best answer for you. It is such a simple feature, a very unused feature in many places and yet such power it holds. Use the Search Feature please, everywhere! Here the Search Feature will take you into the database to find all references to what you are searching for, be it in the Article postings or the What Did You Do to Prep This Week column. So handy, search by name, by topic by relevance by word or by person. Take the time and learn from what others have shared.

Middle Column;

The meat and potatoes of the blog, today it is What did you do to prep this week? then in order of entry for each day. Simply click on the Title and it will take you to that page, review the topic or story, find out what is going on in the world of the Wolf Pack or learn how to raise Chickens. Now since I called it the Meat and Potatoes column, why not jump to

Full proof method for canning pork, chicken, beef http://www.thesurvivalistblog.net/how-to-canning-pork-chicken-beef/.

Right Column;

is a list of some more advertisers and links to MD Creekmore’s books. This is where he pays for the blog as well as finds some people and companies selling Survival and Prepper Specific supplies.

To be sure, check out the blog if you have not already, in my links column in the left side you will see The Survival Blog already listed. If you are looking for information, searching around for a great bunch of people to get to know in the weekly What did you do to prep this week section you will find a group of similar minded people. People who get to know each other, care about each other and strive to share and learn from each other. All in all a very good place to spend some time. Be warned though, I do not suggest clicking on the Notify me of follow-up comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting until after lets say, Tuesday Evening. Why not well since there are sometimes up to 11oo comments, your inbox will fill up very quickly. So go in and subscribe after most have posted, drop back in to see the comments in all postings and articles, learn and share.

Learn and share isn’t that what it is all about really? I also pop in and help, share and learn there as well.

cheers WildE

Lonely

Thats it, just lonely.

FarmGal’s 3rd post and Permy Links

Howdy, I am reposting/repressing/reblogging (not sure of all the differences here!)

FarmGal’s 3rd permy info session is here, http://livingmydreamlifeonthefarm.wordpress.com/2012/04/24/hugelculture-making-hill-beds-for-garden-use/ Search through her site and find some interesting Recipes, do this after lunch and not before! Also look for Oxen/Ox training of Girl, the name of her Female cow who is being trained as an Ox. Very cool indeed

Why do this;

• ok, I am lazy?
• She has great info, Farmgal has so lets get you the info from the person who actually went to the lecture, who has some great hands on experiences. So in essence from the Oxen’s mouth, cause she does not have a horse, but is training to Cows to be Oxen, explanation is cheesy right?
• As part of my journey and for my own memory reasons, I document some information and share it with whomever feels like reading this.
• Aquaponics Family is another example, I am totally impressed with them, totally EH! (he he, now look at the sentence and say it like a valley girl, with the Eh like one of the hossers)(hhmmm too much caffeine for me, but it is fun and I like to write like I talk, the world is too serious already)

Next you will find a link to a post that was done a while back by myself with links to the leaders in the Permaculture Fields. I will probably be editing the links soon to include the Aquaponics Family and a few other sources for Aquaponics information. Another great innovation that can be done in your basement, you garage or backyard.
Here is the link to their site and to their profile
http://aquaponicfamily.wordpress.com/author/aquaponicfamily/
http://aquaponicfamily.wordpress.com

http://aquaponicfamily.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/imag0484-small.jpg?w=640&h=383

view of aquaponics Family photos with a raised aquabed with plants in it, no fish shown or jumping though

 

Now I am think that if you take some lessons from the lecture series from Prof Will Hooker Prof. NCS in the USA – follow through to a great and interesting presentation and video series on Permaculture pay attention to his house visit lecture #5 or 6 where he talks about his small Frog Pond and fist ponds and the effects on the surrounding nature

add in the ideas from Geoff Lawton and Here is the link to the Permaculture Australia site and AgroForestry and Food Forests.

Read up and watch info on Bill Mollinson Here is a link to a Wiki article on him and Sepp Holzer, Here is a link to his Farm and info Website

All of the sources above have video links to those who are too tired to read, so Google and YouTube the names and come up with some Videos to watch, get the family interested.

A Farm For the Future - very well presented and easy to watch a great intro video for you, your family and others around you. (British)
How Cuba Survived Peak Oil, this was surprising, so all encompasing and teaches us all that you can do it on a Nation Wide Basis!
Cuba Power of Community  How Cuba survived Peak Oil Crisis (slovenski podnapisi) full name to search for
Next search for Videos and PDF’s, books by Jean Pain on Jean Pains methods of Bio Heating and Bio Fuel (that is a real I opener, so easy to at least cut the costs of heating houses, barns and the like and all the info is from the 80′s and proven time and again)

 

Bill Mollinson – Global Gardener Series
Geoff Lawton and Here is the link to the Permaculture Australia site his speciality is Food Forests so search for that and his name

Of course my personally Fav of all time, Sepp Holzer and his books, video series and short YouTubes made by other people who visited him!

* Now you can start by planting some 3 Sisters Gardens, smaller and uncomplicated, eventually grow into the Full Blown Permaculture and Aquaponics Routes, this is a natural progression. You can start all of this in your backyard or basement, in your new or existing Homestead, on your wild and natural acreage or in your tree lot or hunting camp. Want to help keep the animals out, Sepp Holzer suggests that you plant food for them in lots of areas in your property. Plant lots of Lettuce, they all love lettuce. I would do a 3 sisters garden technique for them and you then, seed lots of areas in your property and in the ajacent property. Just dig a little bit, cover with some soil and walk away! Repeat, Repeat, Repeat. The only cost is some seeds.

Why do this, plant for the animals, my answer is WHY NOT!  We as Humans are greedy, we take over all the land that we see saying it is ours, the animals have been here for 50,000 yrs or more, and that is just for the modern version of the bears! Give some thought and think on it, ok. We take over everything, kill off the forests, the fields and swamps, where to they live, where to they get food. Well if I was a hungry animal in the wild, I would learn quickly to look for humans, since they are everywhere! Ok, let them look, now plant stuff in their path, find game trails, out of the way areas of your paddocks, fields, swamp or wetlands, plant food there for them. Propagate some the natural foods as well, such as Jerusalem Artichokes, Aramath, Nettles and the list goes on and on. Remember, you can forage in these areas as well, take some of the natural foods, enjoy them, take some others and replant them for others.

Remember become Land Stewards and not just occupiers, work with Nature and Nature will work with you. God loves those that help themselves. Maybe if he sees you helping the animals with food, he will send some helpers to direct the animals to the safer wild areas and away from your Gardens! Just a thought, just a thought.

Now any comments or links to Aquaponics, Permaculture, Hugelculture, AgroForestry and FoodForests not covered are welcome to be put as comments at the end of the blog, so please share with others. The Government will never really help us, so lets help ourselves.
p.s. spam will be deleted as a matter of course!

cheers and looking forward to your comments and links ~WildE

goofing around in a submissive manner

She is bored and watching me write this right now, thinking come on Human/two legs, lets go play fetch! My thoughts are its, windy, snowing, raining all at the same time and I do want to. Stamps foot, crosses arms
sentence just to see if your still reading

 

 

Food Forests or Producing Hedgerows-Farmgal Style.

Food Forests or Producing Hedgerows-Farmgal Style..

Ok, here is FarmGal’s 2nd instalment on the lectures this past weekend on a course for Permaculture in Ottawa Ontario Canada.

Hope you enjoy, also look to back postings for more info on Permaculture and Permy links.

cheers WR or WildE

Basic Idea’s of Hugelculture Gardening Style

Basic Idea’s of Hugelculture Gardening Style.

FarmGal went to a permaculture event on the weekend, here is her first report on the event.

I did not write this, I am just RE-Pressing this, I think it is re-blogging, not so sure lets give it a go!

Cheers to all hope you enjoy the info, cheers to Farmgal for making the original post.  I do believe that the way of commercial agriculture is unsustainable, the way of normal farms are unsustainable, the future relies on these emerging methods.;

AgroForestry
Permaculutre
Aquaculture
Huglebeds – Hugelculture Gardening
Masoula style gardening
Raised bed gardening

Now the two main categories are the Permaculture and Aquaculture styles.  Both require less room for more, more foods, more plants, more freedom for animals and less work for the people. Less fossil fuels, less dependence on chemical sprayers and additions of antibiotics to the animals and fish.

Help spread the word, post, repost and just make a few small permy style areas in a standard backyard, that is enough to get the movement going going and going forward for the future.

p.s. They are not expensive to start or to maintain either!