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If you’ve been in prepper circles for long, you’ve probably heard the term OpSec. It is taken from military jargon and it’s short for Operations Security. In the preparedness and survival world, it generally means not letting other people know that you are prepped, or if they know, they definitely don’t know the specifics of what you have.

Not only do we want to keep the level of our preparedness private, these days, keeping our opinions private might be likewise beneficial from a security perspective. More on that in a moment.

Trigger Warning: There’s no way I can write this article without ticking somebody off. Some readers will feel that I’m siding with the right and others will feel like I’m siding with the left. I’m not because I am not a Democrat or a Republic, nor am I a conservative or a liberal. I’m a critical thinker with diverse opinions that fall into all sorts of categories. Yet others will feel I didn’t go far enough or that there’s some “fact” or conspiracy that I didn’t reveal. I’m not an ice cream cone. I can’t make everyone happy. Also, there may be some swearing.

What is OpSec?

Here’s a definition for those who aren’t familiar with the concept.

Operations security (OPSEC) is a process that identifies critical information to determine if friendly actions can be observed by enemy intelligence, determines if information obtained by adversaries could be interpreted to be useful to them, and then executes selected measures that eliminate or reduce adversary exploitation of friendly critical information.

In a more general sense, OPSEC is the process of protecting individual pieces of data that could be grouped together to give the bigger picture (called aggregation). OPSEC is the protection of critical information deemed mission-essential from military commanders, senior leaders, management or other decision-making bodies…

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Coming Up For Air

April 20, 2022

COMING UP FOR AIR

“A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.” – Originally attributed to Thomas Jefferson, but the actual author is now in question.

“That’s another (fine) mess you’ve gotten me into.” – Laurel & Hardy catchphrase.

Even though I’ve written about our collective insanity for well over 10 years now, to actually witness it’s metamorphosis from slow burn to raging wildfire is both frightening and breathtaking in scope and intensity. Unfortunately, we have many miles to go before some semblance of sanity returns, both collectively and individually. We are truly living in interesting times.

Those who still struggle to maintain some sense of sanity during these times are at a distinct disadvantage when dealing with raw unfiltered insanity. “We the Somewhat Sane” rely upon clearly defined rules of social, political and emotional decorum. We call this civilization, with a strong emphasis on being civil.

But we are severely (self) constrained when dealing with others out of a debilitating belief in the right of all to their own beliefs and self-determination. And expect others do the same with us. Normally this works reasonably well, at least in a civil society where the lunatics aren’t running the insane asylum. Or at least the transgressions are kept down to a dull roar, as my mother used to say.

We who are reasonably sane are self-constrained, those who are not are not. And to be perfectly frank, the unconstrained are quite alarming when witnessed up close and personal. It’s a proximity thing. A bear seen in the distance is an entirely different animal than one seen loping through the front lawn while you’re lounging on the porch. Or worse, you round the corner and find yourself between mama bear and her cubs.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Doomsday ‘Preppers’ Warn of Hard Times Ahead As Preparedness Goes Mainstream

April 4, 2022

Texas-based food scientist Mike Adams, known online as the “Health Ranger,” sees food shortages and heightened security later in 2022. (Courtesy of Mike Adams)

Doomsday ‘Preppers’ Warn of Hard Times Ahead As Preparedness Goes Mainstream

Food scarcity. Food vouchers. Food riots and flash mobs.

All of that’s coming—and soon, says Texas-based food scientist and “Health Ranger” podcaster Mike Adams, who sees dire events unfolding in America in the short term.

His advice: people need to get prepared now.

“The thing to really watch for is the food inflation,” Adams said.

“My position is we’re going to see food riots in America before the end of this year. We’re going to see flash mobs in grocery stores—especially for meat products.

“Grocery stores are going to respond with increased security and checkpoints. At some point, we’re probably going to see an attempt at price controls and rationing.

“And not on everything—certain types of things. It’s almost certain that the rationing they will attempt to enforce with a vaccine passport app that becomes a food rationing app,” Adams told The Epoch Times.

Adams is not alone in his predictions of hard times coming to America—and the world.

With food production buckling under the weight of runaway inflation, skyrocketing fuel costs, and fertilizer shortages, much of what’s in store is already “built-in.”

Unfertile Ground

In North America two years ago, it cost around $200 an acre to fertilize a 1,000-acre commercial farm, Adams said. Right now, with spring planting, farmers can expect to pay $1,200 to $2,000 an acre.

And consumers will pay for it in higher prices for basic necessities.

“Many farmers are deciding not to plant. In addition, the diesel fuel prices and diesel fuel scarcity is going into their equation whether they should plant,” Adams said.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

“Not Going To Happen To Me Again” – Prepping Goes Mainstream In Post-COVID Era

February 12, 2022

“Not Going To Happen To Me Again” – Prepping Goes Mainstream In Post-COVID Era

Consumer psychology radically changed during the early days of the virus pandemic as shortages at supermarkets emerged. Bulk-buying habits were never a thing with the modern consumer in a pre-COVID world, but now ‘prepping’ has gone mainstream two years since the beginning of the virus pandemic as supply chains remain snarled and food inflation is out-of-control. Many have discovered: be prepared or be hungry.

The pandemic was an eye-opener for tens of millions of consumers who learned the government and big corporations wouldn’t take care of them when things go south. Even our elected officials were nowhere to be found in the early days of the pandemic when people panic hoarded food at supermarkets and fought over toilet paper in a ‘free for all battle royale’.

WSJ interviewed consumers across the country who’ve expressed their purchasing habits have changed.

“Bulk-buying habit is expected to stick as people eat more at home, supply remains uncertain and inflation rears up. Retailers and producers are shifting operations as a result,” WSJ said.

Alexis Abell, a 41yo mother of five, buys in bulk out of fear of economic uncertainty.

“I don’t want to be in a position again where I can’t get something,” Abell said, who was laid off in 2020 and decided not to return to work. Her household spends about 25% more a week on food and staples versus a couple of years ago.

“The stimulus money is gone, but we’ve gotten used to having more on hand and I’m cooking more at home, so I expect this to continue,” she said.

Many people expanded their pantries during the pandemic, bought freezers, and made space for non-perishables. WSJ calls “bulk shopping” “hoarding,” though it’s not and instead should be considered a form of prepping.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

China Panic-Hoards Half Of World’s Grain Supply Amid Threats Of Collapse

December 28, 2021

China Panic-Hoards Half Of World’s Grain Supply Amid Threats Of Collapse

About two and a half years ago, we told readers China was panic hoarding food, which was several months before the virus pandemic began to spread worldwide; Beijing has managed to stockpile more than half of the world’s maize and other grains that have resulted in rapid food inflation and triggered famine in some countries.

In August 2019, we asked the question:

Does China believe that we are on the verge of a major global crisis? The communist Chinese government has always been very big into planning, and it appears that they have decided that now is the time to hoard food, gold and other commodities.

Fast forward today, the answer is most likely “yes.” China maintains “historically high levels” of beans and grains stockpiled at COFCO Group’s (a major Chinese state-owned food processor) 310 storage facilities in the northeastern part of the country, according to Nikkei Asia.

Qin Yuyun, head of grain reserves at the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration, told reporters last month, “our wheat stockpiles can meet the demand for one and a half years. There is no problem whatsoever about the supply of food.”

Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows China has approximately 69% of the globe’s maize reserves in the first half of the crop year 2022, 60% of its rice, and 51% of its wheat.

Since the Chinese plan multiple years out, we’ve pointed out how a series of disasters and weather events have likely led state officials to forecast a troublesome period of food shortages. China has already observed droughts, floods, and pests that have ruined harvests. More than 20 months of snarled supply chains due to COVID and La Nina weather patterns (second consecutive one) have also produced volatile conditions for food production.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

The Criminalization of Preppers in Turkey: Will Our Country Be Next?

December 23, 2021

The Criminalization of Preppers in Turkey: Will Our Country Be Next?

History has shown us that collectivism detests the individual. The man who can exist independent of the system, who thinks for himself, who is not easily swayed, and who has values rooted in absolute truth which he refuses to give up – this is the enemy of collectivism.

But if we take a closer look at one aspect of the individual – his ability to exist independent of the system – is it not clear this is an end goal of prepping?

Is that not what a prepper strives for – the ability to exist independent of the world around them so that disaster does not affect them in the way that it affects others?

It is, and this is why collectivism criminalizes preppers over and over again.

We’ve seen it before and we’re seeing it right now, most notably in Turkey.

Turkey is cooked, and we all know it.

For those who keep a fairly accurate pulse of world events, you know that the fiat currency of Turkey – the lira – is collapsing.

As of this year the lira has lost approximately 40% of its value, and from all appearances, it shows no signs of stopping its downward spiral anytime soon.

Inflation is rapidly leading to hyperinflation within Turkey and the Turkish citizens have recognized this. People began attempting to step away from the lira and delving into cryptocurrency in an attempt to protect themselves.

And then the Turkish government made crypto illegal as a form of payment on April 30, 2021. This was done to prevent “irreparable damage.” What’s ironic about this is that the Turks said this was because cryptocurrencies were “neither subject to any regulation and supervision mechanisms nor a central regulatory authority.” [source]

That’s a fun train of logic from the people that are in the process of destroying their own currency.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

How to Make Soap From Scratch (DIY)

December 22, 2021

How to Make Soap From Scratch (DIY)

Soap-Making 101: Prepping Skills to Learn Now“Soap and water and common sense are the best disinfectants.” –William Osler.

The average American consumer spends almost 90 dollars a year on soap and detergents. Once you’ve made a batch of your own soap, you may never use store-bought soap again. Soap making is incredibly easy, and it’s an excellent skill to have after a disaster if you are homesteading or just want to pick up a highly addictive hobby. One large batch can provide you, your friends, neighbors, and their friends all the soap you could need for months and months.

DIY Soap In this video, I will make a simple batch of fragrant soap using oil, and sodium hydroxide, commonly known as lye. Because there is some chemistry here to get it right, I have done all the calculations for you. Lye is highly corrosive in its pure state and can cause chemical burns, so you will want to wear hand and eye protection and even a mask. You will also want to mix these chemicals in a well-ventilated area or outdoors, as the sodium hydroxide can give off poisonous gas. Don’t let this scare you, though. You won’t have to worry if you practice reasonable safety precautions, as I will outline here. I will take you step-by-step through what you need, the recipe and method, an example of a usable failure, and then a bit of the history on soap, fats, lye, and my shocking theory about the origin of soap. By the end of this video, you will have a batch that works that you can play around with and tweak however you like…

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Taco Meat Freeze-Dried: 25 Years Shelf-Life

December 22, 2021

Taco Meat Freeze-Dried: 25 Years Shelf-Life

Freeze Dryer Meals Ready to Eat: Taco Meat (MREs)

“I wish I was full of tacos instead of emotions.” –Unknown.

25 Year Old Tacos Having a meal ready to go in just 5-minutes with just the addition of a bit of water is an obvious game-changer. You don’t even need water for this one. You could crunch on it right out of the bag if you had to. Whether you are amidst a disaster or on the road fleeing to a safer location, freeze-dried foods provide a super lightweight meal ready to eat. Even if you just rehydrate a meal in 5-minutes instead of spending an hour or more cooking it after work, you save time, money, and you get better nutrients by eating food you made yourself instead of snacks pressed and fried off an assembly line.

Continuing our adventure into freeze-drying, here we will cook up some taco meat. You can rehydrate pounds of this with just a little hot water. You can eat it straight out of the bag, add it on top of chips or salad, or throw it in a flour tortilla or lettuce leaf. I like this recipe because, with a few ingredients, it is incredibly flavorful and reminds me of the food I ate growing up. That home-cooked feel in a mylar bag, that’s what it is all about. It’s delicious and high enough in protein and iron to keep you moving under the worst of conditions. This is also one of the best, cheap, and easy things I’ve made in the freeze-dryer. I highly recommend this.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

How To Make Emergency Ration Bars (DIY)

November 27, 2021

How To Make Emergency Ration Bars (DIY)

Sometimes you only need some ration bars to get you through a short disaster. A high-calorie, nutrient-dense bar can provide you with sugars, proteins, and carbohydrates to keep you moving and keep you alive. The problem with many bars is that you don’t know what they are putting in them. The other problem is that they can focus on nutrition so much that they taste as good as wet cardboard. While having some granola bars in your inventory is great, when you make a batch of bars yourself, you will find that they taste better, and you know exactly what kind of nutrients and calories you are taking into your body. These are calorically-dense bars that will fuel you up through any disaster.

Let’s get one thing clear. I am not much of a baker. I have had more than my share of failures trying to develop a good-tasting calorie-dense bar. I can make an occasional loaf of bread and maybe some cookies, and I can cook just about anything else in the world, but baking just isn’t my thing. Sometimes, the trash can is the only place for some of my baking experiments. Failed baking projects With that in mind, this is my latest calorically and nutrient-dense bar. It might not be the best, but it tastes good and has the calories you would need after a disaster to sustain you. Here we will make a calorically dense, nutritious emergency ration bar with a decent shelf-life. I will take it a step further in this video and take moisture readings from one I left out overnight, one that I dehydrated, and one that I freeze-dried. From this, we can try and determine shelf-life. There are many recipes online for emergency ration bars, and I have tried many. Let’s do this…

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Do-It-Yourself Freeze-dried MREs

November 19, 2021

Do-It-Yourself Freeze-dried MREs

Make Your Own MREs: Freeze-Dried Chili Mac

While I like to have a range of freeze-dried foods on hand, I may not have time to prep a meal in an emergency. That may result in my having to chew on rehydrated carrot chips or crunchy corn washed down with swigs of water, but having my Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) can be a huge nutritionally complex advantage. First, I know what’s in it, so I know it’s good for me. Second, my body had already processed some of this same food when I first made it, so I’m not shocking my system at a time when I need as stable of physiology as possible. Third, I have a meal ready to eat anytime I don’t know what to have for dinner on a particular night. And, though there are many other reasons I could probably go into, like the fact that the food has a shelf-life of upwards of 25 years, a huge reason is its cost savings. Food prices aren’t going down, so when I cook in bulk today and set it aside, I am essentially putting food in an interest-bearing savings account of sorts. The ten dollars I might spend today on food will be worth even more five years from now, and after a disaster, it will be priceless.

In this video, I’ll make and freeze-dry classic Chili Mac. To rehydrate, just add hot water, and you’re eating a home-cooked meal while the disaster rages outside. Throughout this series on the Harvest Right Freeze-Dryer, I’ll give you a few pro-tips based on lessons I have learned and one technical fact per video….

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Emergency #Permaculture: Are You Prepared?

November 15, 2021

Emergency #Permaculture: Are You Prepared?

Marti’s Corner – 42

November 15, 2021

Marti’s Corner – 42

Marti's Corner at City Prepping Hi Everyone,

NOTES:

* If you want to store some food for emergencies and are looking for some low-carb ideas, check out this site: 30 Low-Carb And Keto Emergency Food list – get the printable lists NOW

* Want to try dehydrating but don’t want to buy a dehydrator? Try the oven. How to Dehydrate Food Without a Dehydrator « Food Hacks Dehydrator jerky

This site shows you how to use an oven, a toaster oven, a microwave, and the sun. The author even shows you how to make your own dehydrator.

* Garden Notes – Even though the weather is still warm here in So. Cal., the days are gradually getting shorter, which also means that the sun does rise as high in the sky, which means that the plants don’t get as much sunlight even during the day. Last year I gardened all winter long, and frankly, the plants did NOT do very well, except for the lettuce. So this year, I’m not going to do that. I will take the plants out as production decreases and just let the garden rest, except for the lettuce. My zucchini and yellow squash that I planted in the spring is just about done. But the zucchini and squash that I planted about two months ago are now starting to produce. Somehow the aphids got away from me and seemed to be everywhere—spray, spray, spray. I’m using BT, an organic spray for the aphids.

LONG TERM FOCUS: Fruit

Last week to gather cans of fruit, fruit roll-ups, dehydrated fruits, jams, powdered fruit drinks, and other types of fruit. Cans of fruit, although bulky and heavy, have sweet syrup that will give Fruit needed calories in an emergency.

SHORT TERM FOCUS: Raisins, Craisins

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Sunchokes: The Ultimate Prepper Survival Food

November 14, 2021

Sunchokes: The Ultimate Prepper Survival Food

“Keep your face to the sunshine, and you cannot see the shadow. It’s what sunflowers do.”— Helen Keller.

SunChokes The sunflower should be the symbol of preppers and survivors, and it’s the unsung hero that every prepper should grow, know how to recognize in the wild, and use. Helianthus comprises about 70 species of annual and perennial flowering plants in the daisy family Asteraceae. Except for three South American species, the species of Helianthus are native to North America and Central America, but they now grow around the world.

In this blog, we will take a look at Helianthus tuberosus. Its common names are sunroot, wild sunflower, earth apple, Canadian truffle, and Jerusalem artichoke. The tuber of this plant can commonly be found in some grocery stores, and it is sometimes referred to as a fartichoke. The taste is similar to that of artichoke hearts, but it derives this slang name because of its high amounts of inulin. When the tubers are stored for an extended period, this inulin will convert to its component fructose. Still, inulin is only digestible by gut bacteria, hence the gas that it sometimes causes.

I will show you how to grow, harvest, and cook the sunchoke to reduce the gassy effect. I will also freeze-dry some and make it into pasta. Let’s explore this ultimate of prepper plants.

GROWING & HARVESTING

The first thing to know about this plant is that it grows wild in almost any soil. Colonists first brought it and other sunflowers back to Europe, and it now extends around the world. Its tuber roots are prolific, and it will take over whatever garden plot you put it in to start. One planted acre will yield almost 9 tons of tubers…

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

6 Just-Add-Water Meals That Belong In Your Prepper Pantry

October 19, 2021

6 Just-Add-Water Meals That Belong In Your Prepper Pantry

When we are faced with dramatic emergency situations, convenience can help keep us calm and eliminate some of the added stress that’s inevitable during a crisis. That’s why convenience is one of the basic rules to creating a solid emergency food pantry.

Many busy moms know that boxed dinners can be a time saver when you are in a pinch. Having some pre-packaged items or just-add-water meals during emergency scenarios will help you begin acclimating yourself to cooking in a grid-down scenario as well as can help provide some comfort at the same time. Keep in mind, however, that those pre-packaged meals are most often not as nutritious as other meals, but you will need to weigh your options in times of crisis. Sometimes, beating the stress is simply more important. Another thing to watch for is making sure you are keeping dietary restrictions in mind. For example, if you or a member of your family have celiac disease, you would want to avoid anything not specifically labeled “gluten-free.”

But if you just want some quick “just add water meals” to store in case the grid goes down, or worse, these are all excellent options. Plus, you could easily buy these in bulk either at the grocery store or on Amazon!

Hamburger helper – This can be turned into a soup, especially if you have some beef bouillon on hand! It isn’t half bad either! Just add a lot of water, and some additional beef bouillon to flavor the water, and viola! Hamburger helper soup!

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Building a Dakota Fire Pit

October 18, 2021

Building a Dakota Fire Pit

“Anywhere the struggle is great, the level of ingenuity and inventiveness is high.”– Eleni Zaude Gabre-Madhin

There are several dangerous aspects to a post-disaster open fire or even a fire in the wild. High winds can make your fire difficult to light, and sparks can cause your fire to grow and potentially become out of control. Smoke and radiating light from the flames can announce to all the locations of your encampment and attract undesirable people that could threaten your safety. Still, having a safe fire after a disaster could mean the difference between life and death for you. Fire is a prepper’s essential tool, and it’s key to survival. Fortunately, the ancient indigenous people of North America developed a method to deal with all of those issues. And we are going to follow their model in this video and build what is commonly called a Dakota Fire Pit or a Dakota Fire Hole. In this video, I will explain how to build a basic Dakota Fire Pit, why it’s far superior to an open campfire and why it was probably developed in the first place. Let’s break some ground…

HOW TO BUILD IT

The Dakota Fire Pit is essentially just two holes in the ground that connect up. Your slightly larger fire hole is fed by the smaller hole that should be at least as big around as your fist and will open up at the bottom of your larger fire pit hole.

Having a steep-sided, narrow, and deep fire hole will protect your fire from high winds, which will help you get it started under challenging conditions. The sides of the fire pit will also focus the heat energy upwards and not in all directions like a campfire. This will allow you to generate a concentrated heat sufficient enough to boil water or cook in a very short amount of time.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

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