Archive for month: August, 2021

For the uninitiated, hydroponics refers to the growing of plants in a nutrient-rich solution rather than soil. Plants can be grown in individual slots in specially designed containers, or they can be grown in batches suspended on a larger water source.

Aquaponics, on the other hand, is similar to hydroponics but adds fish into the system. The fish generate waste which is converted into nutrients that the plants absorb and filter out, providing clean water back to the fish. This benefits both the fish and plants as the solution is continuously pumped through the system.

Setting up and maintaining hydroponics and aquaponics systems are more costly than using traditional farming methods, but not having a plan for producing food after an SHTF event can be more costly or even fatal.

Hydroponics, aquaponics perfect for preppers

Self-reliance is the recurring theme when you talk about being prepared. Growing or raising your food is part of the foundation of that process. (Related: Grow your medicine: Japanese goldthread grown with hydroponics is just as potent as wild variants.)

It’s not easy to grow food. Changing seasons, too much rain, too little rain, extreme temperatures, disease, insects and other predators can all affect crops. You can curtail those troubles by using hydroponics or aquaponics over traditional methods.

While hydroponics and aquaponics can be set up outdoors, one of their best features is that they can be set up indoors. Many of the variables that can affect outdoor crops are much easier to control in an indoor environment and therefore do not pose as much of an issue.

Outdoor space may be minimal, nonexistent or just isn’t conducive to growing plants or raising fish after SHTF. Under that situation, you can set up hydroponics and aquaponics systems in a basement, spare room or any other available indoor space.

The beauty of setting up these systems indoors is that there is no specific design that you must use. As long as the plants and fish are getting what they need, the systems can be as big or as small as you like and they can take the shape of whatever your imagination can come up with. This is incredibly useful when available space is limited.

When it is difficult or even impossible to use traditional methods following a disaster, the ability to use these systems all year long and indoors can be a tremendous benefit.

Hydroponics thriving during COVID-19 pandemic

Hydroponics is a growing industry, with its $9.5 billion in sales expected to nearly double in the next five years. This system helps ease concerns about growing enough food to feed a worldwide population expected to hit 10 billion in the next 30 years.

The system’s growing popularity may be connected to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“As soon as the pandemic was declared in mid-March and the quarantine took effect, we saw immediate growth spikes, unlike anything we’d ever seen before,” said Paul Rabaut, director of marketing for AeroGarden, which produces systems for in-home crop production.

Rabaut said the increase in interest on hydroponics resulted from the need for entertainment beyond Netflix and jigsaw puzzles, a desire to minimize trips to the grocery store and the promise of teachable moments for kids now schooled at home.

Aquaponics safe against pathogenic risks

Aquaponics is also growing in popularity. It has been continuously proven to be a safe method to grow fish, fruits and vegetables in any environment. In an aquaponic system, healthy microbes serve as biological control agents against pathogenic bacteria.

While aquaponics produce is not immune to all pathogenic contamination, it is considered as one of the safest agriculture methods against pathogenic risks.

The most pathogenic contamination in modern agriculture systems stems from bird droppings, animal infestation and agriculture ditch or contaminated water sources. Commercial aquaponic systems are usually operated in controlled environments like greenhouses, making them less vulnerable to pathogenic contamination. (Related: Aquaponics: Is this promising, sustainable farming method the urbanized future of agriculture?)

In 2019, nonprofit organization Aquaponic Association said that there have been no confirmed reports of human illness due to aquaponic fish or raw produce in the last two decades.

Year-round farming made possible

Most plants are temperature sensitive and therefore can only be grown during certain parts of the year. Fishing can also be regulated by the weather as it may cause some species to move from one region to another. Wintertime in some regions also makes it more difficult to fish.

When the grow tanks are placed indoors, it gives the grower the ability to precisely control environmental temperatures 24 hours a day. This allows for growing seasons that extend throughout the year and you never have to worry about tracking fish down or dealing with weather conditions outside.

Water is always a concern when growing plants – some have it too much, some too little. Some regions have to worry about their gardens and fields becoming flooded while other regions don’t get enough rainfall to grow certain crops.

A lot of water is also often wasted on crops through evaporation. Meaning, more water must be used for the roots to get a proper drink. With hydroponics and aquaponics, water is continuously recycled through the system and it is in constant contact with the roots. Whatever water the plant doesn’t use stays in the system to be used later.

Most importantly, elements have less chance to negatively affect crops and fish since many variables are tightly controlled in hydroponics and aquaponics systems.

Follow CleanFoodWatch.com for more news related to clean foods and farming.

Estimated reading time: 11 minutes

If you’re searching for ammo in a post-apocalyptic world (and you most certainly will, no matter how much you’ve stockpiled), multi-caliber guns make it more likely you’ll find ammunition that you can use. 

A ‘multi-caliber’ gun is exactly what it sounds like: a firearm that can chamber and fire two or more calibers rather than just one, and with little to no modifications to the firearm required. 

In an SHTF situation, ammunition will be hard to come by. Even if you don’t plan on making a multi-caliber firearm your primary weapon, it’s easy to see why having at least one such firearm in your arsenal could be to your benefit.

We already are in the midst of a major ammunition shortage right now, which began during last year’s pandemic due to panic buying. This shortage unfortunately shows no signs of letting up soon, and prices have skyrocketed. 

This is why investing in a multi-caliber firearm isn’t just something you should think about for a major disaster scenario. It’s something you should think about for the current circumstances that we have found ourselves in as well. 

Here are the best multi-caliber guns for life after SHTF:

AR-15: 5.56x45mm NATO, .223 Remington, .224 Valkyrie, .300 Blackout,  6.5 Grendel, or 6.8 SPC

AR-15s can be easily modified to alternate between various calibers. All you have to do is swap out the upper receivers while using the same lower. Swapping between uppers is also very easy and can be done quickly if you know what you’re doing. 

Most calibers of AR-15 can even use the same magazines, although it’s up to you to research the specific magazines you’re using to confirm. For example, a standard metal GI AR-15 5.56 magazine should accept alternative rounds such as .224 Valkyrie or 6.8 SPC, but at a reduced capacity due to the larger diameter of the individual rounds.  

Beretta APX: 9mm Luger and .40 S&W 

The Beretta APX is a fully modular pistol design, inspired by the SIG Sauer P320. The APX comes with a single internal stainless steel chassis that houses a fire control unit. This chassis can then be alternated between different frames. 

The idea is that you can buy one fire control unit (which requires a background check to purchase) and then different sizes of frames and slides (which do not require a background check to purchase). 

But you can also alternate between calibers as well. The APX is currently available in 9mm Luger and .40 S&W configurations, and you can alternate between the two versions with the same fire control unit.

Chiappa and Springfield M6 Survival Rifle: 12 Gauge or 20 Gauge with .22 LR or .22 Mag (Chiappa) vs. .410 Bore and .22 Mag (Springfield)

Currently manufactured by Chiappa and Springfield Armory, the M6 Survival Rifle is an over and under (O/U) rifle/shotgun that is heavily based off of the original M6 Aircrew Survival Weapon. 

The M6 is instantly recognizable due to its skeletonized buttstock, double triggers, and double barrels. The entire design also easily folds so it can be easily stashed away such as in a backpack or in a car. In the case of the Chiappa model, scopes or red dot sights can also be added thanks to the presence of Picatinny rails on the top of the design. 

The Chiappa M6 comes with a 12 gauge or 20 gauge barrel along with a .22 LR or .22 Mag barrel (depending on the configuration you choose). The stock holds two spare shotgun shells and four spare 22 rounds. 

The Springfield M6 comes with a .410 bore along with a .22 Mag barrel. The stock holds fifteen additional rounds of .22 and four extra .410 rounds. 

Ruger GP100: .357 Magnum and .38 Special 

Virtually any .357 Magnum revolver is a multi-caliber firearm due to the fact that it can chamber both .357 Magnum and .38 Special ammunition. But you should still be strategic about the specific .357 revolver that you choose to add to your arsenal. 

The GP100 from Ruger is an excellent choice due to the fact that it’s one of the most rugged and durable .357 Magnum revolvers ever made.

An upgraded version of the earlier Security Six model, the GP100 was designed by Ruger to handle an unlimited number of .357 Magnum rounds without the cylinder locking up (as can happen on other magnum revolvers). The GP100 accomplishes this with extra metal built into the frame and the cylinder.

The GP100 is currently available in 3-inch, 4-inch, 5-inch, and 6-inch barreled configurations, and with either a blued or silver stainless finish. The cylinder holds either 6 or 7 cartridges, depending on the configuration that you choose. 

Ruger Redhawk: .45 Long Colt and .45 ACP

The Ruger Redhawk is well known as a .44 Magnum revolver, but Ruger manufacturers another model of the Redhawk chambered for both the rimless .45 ACP and the rimmed .45 Long Colt. 

Ruger accomplished this by machining the cylinder to accept .45 ACP moon clips, while also being able to accept .45 LC rounds without the moon clips. 

Ruger SP101: .357 Magnum and .38 Special 

If you want a compact, snubnose .357 Magnum revolver that’s easy to conceal, check out the Ruger SP101. 

The SP101 is essentially a scaled down version of the GP100. But as with the GP100, it has extra metal built into the frame and cylinder to handle extended shooting sessions of .357 Magnum. This does mean that it’s heavier and bulkier than other snubnose revolvers, but with the advantage of superior durability. 

The SP101 is available in both blued and stainless steel configurations, and with either a 2 inch or 3 inch barrel as well. 

SIG Sauer P229: .357 SIG and .40 S&W

Since the .357 SIG and the .40 S&W share the same parent case (the 10mm), swapping between them in a pistol requires nothing more than a barrel change. 

The P229 is a double action/single action metal frame hammer fired pistol with a 12 round magazine capacity in .40 S&W ad .357 SIG. Purchase a P229 in .40 S&W and an additional barrel in .357 SIG, and all you have to do is change the barrels during field stripping. 

SIG Sauer P320: 9mm Luger, .40 S&W, and .357 SIG

Like the Beretta APX, the SIG Sauer P320 is a fully modular pistol where the internal fire control unit can be swapped between frames. 

This also means that you can switch the fire control unit between calibers as well. 9mm Luger, .357 SIG, and .40 S&W versions of the P320 have been made. The full-size 9mm carries 17 rounds of ammunition, while the .40 and .357 SIG versions hold 14 rounds. 

Note: As of early 2021, SIG Sauer has officially discontinued new production of .40 S&W and .357 SIG pistols for the foreseeable future. However, used ones can still be found at gun shows and in pawn shops.

Smith & Wesson Governor: .410 Bore, .45 Long Colt, and .45 ACP 

The Governor is Smith & Wesson’s answer to the Taurus Judge, which we’ll discuss here in a bit. 

Designed to accept .410 Bore and .45 Long Colt like the Judge, the Governor also has the unique ability to accept to .45 ACP rounds with the aid of moon clips as well. The Governor also has the advantage of carrying six rounds rather than the Judge’s five.

The disadvantages of the Governor in contrast to the Judge are its much higher price and the fact that it is only available in shorter barrel lengths. 

Smith & Wesson Model 686: .357 Magnum and .38 Special

An alternative to the GP100 for a large frame .357 Magnum duty revolver is the Smith & Wesson 686. The 686 has been in continuous production since 1980, longer than the GP100 has been around for. 

Current 686 revolvers come standard with a cushioned rubberized grip. As with the GP100, the 686 is available in either 6 shot or 7 shot configurations and in a variety of barrel lengths. The blued counterpart to the 686 is called the 586. 

Taurus Judge: .410 Bore and .45 Long Colt 

Released in 2006, the Taurus Judge has been marketed by Taurus as an ideal weapon for defense against carjackers and home intruders. The Judge holds 5 rounds of .410 Bore and .45 LC, and comes with a cushioned grip to help absorb recoil. 

The Judge is available in either matte bluing or matte stainless finishes, and in a variety of barrel lengths: 2.5 inch, 3 inch, and 6 inches.

The compact version of the Judge is called the Public Defender; certain versions of the Public Defender come with a lighter polymer frame as well. 

Taurus Raging Judge: .410 Bore, .454 Casull, and .45 Long Colt 

The Taurus Raging Judge is a massive revolver that is designed to also accept the .454 Casull rounds as well. It also comes equipped with a 6 round cylinder rather than the Judge’s 5 rounds. 

At 73 ounces, the Raging Judge is one of the heaviest revolvers on the market today. It comes with a dual cylinder release to help handle the massive .454 rounds. 

Taurus Model 692: .357 Magnum, .38 Special, and 9mm Luger 

The Model 692 is a relatively new revolver from Taurus that ships with two cylinders: one for .357 Magnum and .38 Special, and another designed to use 9mm Luger with moon clips (which are also supplied). 

The 692 also comes with adjustable sights and a 3-inch ported barrel, in either matte stainless or matte bluing configurations. 

Conclusion 

And there you have it: the best multi-caliber guns for life after SHTF. 

When ammunition of any kind becomes exceedingly difficult to find – to the point that a single round of any caliber becomes immensely valuable – it’s easy to see why multi-caliber firearms are worth owning. 

It’s ultimately up to you to decide which guns you want to buy, but just know that multi-caliber firearms like the ones we’ve covered here are an often-overlooked investment. 

With a well-stocked food pantry, you can feed your family when disaster strikes and bug in without worries. But what if you’re facing a long-term power outage?

While prepping your food stockpile, make sure that your supplies include items that you can prepare even during a blackout, like canned meats, canned soup and frozen vegetables. (h/t to FoodStorageMoms.com)

Make a list of tasty, nutritious and filling meals you can prepare for the family even if you don’t have power at home. Once your list of recipes is done, stock up on the necessary ingredients like the ones discussed below.

You don’t need to buy all the ingredients at once if you start stocking your pantry today. Build your survival stockpile by waiting for discounts and promos and using coupons to get items at a discounted price. This ensures that you stay within your budget while also stocking up for emergencies.

Canned fish

Canned fish like salmon, sardines and tuna are a good addition to your stockpile.

Canned fish can be eaten directly from the can for a quick and hassle-free meal. You can also mix canned fish with mustard or mayo and serve it on bread to make a tasty sandwich.

Another dish you can serve even without electricity is tuna salad with beans. Use ingredients like canned cannellini beans, garbanzo bean, or white kidney beans. Combine the beans with a can of drained tuna then add a bit of chopped onion, lemon juice, olive oil, spices and salt and pepper to taste.

Canned meats, fruits and vegetables

Canned meats and vegetables are a must-have in a prepper’s pantry since these items have a long shelf life. (Related: 10 Tips that will ensure you have enough food after disaster strikes.)

Here’s an assortment of canned food to stock up on:

Use canned fruit to make a granola bowl for breakfast. Top yogurt off with granola or muesli and fresh or canned fruit. Eat these ingredients first if the power goes out since yogurt can go bad after four hours inside the fridge without power.

Prep an easy vegetable salad using canned food from your stockpile. Chop up the ingredients you have like onions, kale, spinach and tomatoes and toss them together with a simple dressing.

Make a simple dressing with the oil and vinegar of your choice, salt and pepper. If you don’t have vinegar, use lime or lemon juice.

Pair the salad with bread, cooked grains like rice or quinoa, or some canned corn or rinsed canned beans.

To make taco with canned ingredients, you’ll need an avocado (optional), canned beans, canned corn, chopped tomatoes and fresh cilantro (optional). Toss all the ingredients with a zesty lime dressing.

To make the taco dressing, whisk 1/4 cup of lime juice with three tablespoons of honey, two tablespoons of mild vinegar, two tablespoons of Dijon mustard, and garlic with salt and pepper to taste. If you don’t have taco shells, eat the taco mix like a salad or with pita bread.

Some canned foods can be eaten without cooking, but these items can be prepared over a grill or open fire if you prefer a hot meal.

Canned or homemade soup

A warm bowl of soup is a must-have when SHTF. Reheat canned or homemade soup over an outdoor fire if the power is out and you can’t use your stove.

Pour the soup into a pot, then hold it over the open flame for several minutes until it boils. Serve the soup with crackers.

Foil packet meals

Foil packet meals are a great meal prep hack if you’re camping or bugging in with no electricity. To make a foil packet meal, get a large sheet of aluminum foil and add different ingredients like raw ground beef, corn, diced potatoes and peas.

Once the ingredients are placed in the foil, fold it closed and cook it over a campfire or grill until the meat is no longer raw. Try this method if you need a quick and easy way to cook your meals in an emergency.

Below is a recipe for eggs baked in a foil packet.

Ingredients for 4 servings:

Preparation:

Grilled meats and fresh or frozen vegetables

Cook on an outdoor grill during a power outage if you prefer meat served with vegetables.

With a grill, you can prep grilled burgers, chicken, hot dogs and other meats along with different vegetables like sliced carrots, chopped zucchini and potatoes.

Pasta with sauce

Boxed pasta is easy to cook, and you can serve it with canned or jarred sauces.

Cook the pasta by boiling water on a grill or over an open fire. After you’ve boiled the water, add pasta to it and let it cook before draining it and adding the sauce.

Serve the cooked pasta with sauce, chopped pieces of canned meat and some cheese.

Peanut butter

Peanut butter is a tasty snack, and it’s also an essential stockpile ingredient because it’s full of protein.

Peanut butter tastes good and can be used to make different snacks. You can also eat it as is with a spoon, or serve it on bread with jam or jelly as a sandwich. Alternatively, you can spread peanut butter on crackers for a quick snack when SHTF.

Finally, you can serve peanut butter with sliced bananas and apples if your kids want a snack.

Before SHTF, prep a list of meals that you can prepare without cooking or on an outdoor grill if you don’t have any electricity. Don’t forget to stock up on supplies for your stockpile so you have enough food during an emergency.

(Natural News)
Foraging wild seeds is a valuable skill to have in a total collapse scenario or after SHTF. The plants are always there, but most people don’t have the training to recognize them.

While most people see dead lands after prolonged droughts, the trained eyes see things that can make them survive.

A sunbaked land where nothing seems to be growing can actually be loaded with tiny superfoods. It can have mustards, lamb’s quarter (a type of wild spinach), curly dock (related to rhubarb), wild amaranth, chia, stinging nettles, white sage, black sage, etc.

Foods are everywhere – but people don’t recognize them in seed form

People normally don’t recognize them when they’re in seed form. Seeds are a concentration of all the nutrients a young plant will need to grow. They’re an essential part of the native diet. More than 100 edible seeds were collected by various tribes on the West Coast during pre-Columbian times.

In modern times, you can probably add another 50 seeds from non-native plants, such as curly dock, several types of lamb’s quarter, chervil, amaranth, sedge and more. Native people used them to make various types of mush called pinole. The flavors were fantastic and the pinole was a full meal in itself that could provide you with good nutrition and energy during the day.

Another use of seed was to create a type of energy superfood by mixing wild seeds, sugar, nuts and wild berries. Seeds were sometimes hidden and stored for future use. In more primitive societies, seeds were so valuable that they were sometimes used as a type of money or unit of exchange.

In terms of nutrition, seeds have very definite survival uses. They can be eaten, exchanged for goods or replanted for future uses. A large bag of stinging nettles or lamb’s quarter seeds can provide a lot of edible wild greens in the spring. (Related: Food supply 101: Unusual sources of food when SHTF.)

Seeds have countless culinary applications. They can be used in mush or porridge, ground into flour and made into flatbreads, placed in stews or soups for added nutrition, used to create condiments such as mustard and used as an additive in delicious energy drinks.

Fennel, mustard, chervil and coriander seeds can be used as a flavoring agents. Seeds can also be medicinal. For example, milk thistle seeds are known to help support the liver.

Harvesting and storing seeds to make sure you have food available after SHTF

There are several methods of harvesting seeds. Very often, it’s a matter of experimenting with the most efficient way to do it. To collect mustard seeds, you may place the dried stems that are loaded with seed pods in a plastic bag. You can beat and crush the contents using a stick or your hand. The seeds and shafts collect at the bottom of the bag.

Cut a little hole at the bottom of the bag afterward, and let everything trickle into a large bowl or bucket. Pour the content back and forth from one bucket to another in the wind. The shafts will blow away, and you will end up with mostly seeds.

Some other seeds are better collected by hand, while others are collected on location by beating the seed pods with a paddle into a large container or basket. All the seeds you manage to harvest should be stored in a cool and dry place. Some seeds can contain a lot of oil and go rancid if improperly stored.

Some like to place wild seeds into their freezer for a few hours. This might work well for culinary uses, but it’s probably not a viable procedure if you want to use the seeds later for planting and growing food.

As with any wild food, you must properly identify the plants and seeds before using them. Some seeds can be extremely toxic or deadly.

Harvesting seeds from wild edibles is a great way to make sure you have food available during times of adversity. Learn to identify and harvest wild edibles and don’t forget to save their seeds.

You can also have an emergency seed bank to put together a bunch of different kinds of seeds, seal them in a container and put them on the shelf so that you can grow a garden if food becomes scarce.

The better emergency food strategy is to grow a garden as part of a day-to-day lifestyle, and to save seeds so that they can become locally adapted.

Seed banks generally prolong the life expectancy of the seeds. Longevity seems mostly about storing seeds dry, not exposing them to high temperatures and avoiding bugs and animals. If you live in a damper environment, include a desiccant with the seeds before storing. Desiccant is a hygroscopic substance that is used to induce or sustain a state of dryness in its vicinity.

Follow FoodFreedom.news for more news on survival foods.

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