Todd’s Tomato Ladders: No More Lame Cages

by Todd Walker

Dirt Road Girl wanted something to cage her tomatoes in our front yard. She hates those flimsy wire cages. Our backyard is full shade. So we followed the sun and started food-scaping the font yard. There’s sunshine 8 hours a day out front.

She wanted something functional, sturdy, and of course, homemade. I made rolled wire cages last year from fencing. The problem with those was that they blew over during summer storms – even after staking them down in the container. We needed something anchored into the ground.

We had an old wooden ladder by my shop. I suggested we use it as a ‘cage.’

“That’ll work!”

Here’s what she came up with… for me to do!

Todd’s Tomato Ladder is not your typical tomato cage.

After a quick search online, she drew inspiration from Mother Earth News – Woody’s Folding Tomato Cages.

Keep in mind that these tomato ladders are going in our front yard. I print off Woody’s plans, gather lumber, and set to building. He calls for using 8 foot 1×3 lumber for the legs. Excitedly, I get to work.

8 foot tomato ladders are 2 feet shy of a regulation basketball goal.

It never occurs to me that erecting two “twin tower” tomato ladders in our front yard might draw neighbor’s ire. We try to fly under the radar as much as possible in our front yard food-scaping. These 8 footers would work in the country or a backyard.

I quickly build two of these bad boys, set them over the containers, and think, “wow, those sure are high.”

Painting your house, Walker?

They lasted about a week after noticing neighbors walking by with thought bubbles over their heads…

“What are they up to this year!?!”

Back to the drawing board.

I needed to shrink Woody’s plans.

Here’s the plan if you want to build our 6 foot model.

Bill of Material

Use non-pressure treated lumber to keep chemicals from leaching into your plants.

Four 1 x 3 boards 8 feet long

Two 1 x 2 boards 8 feet long

10 1/2 inch piece of 2 x 4 lumber

About 40-50 1 5/8 inch screws (I use star drive decking screws. It’s my personal mission to convert everyone to superior star drive screws)

Four 3 inch decking screws (2 will be used to attach the 2 x 4 to the legs – 2 will be used to attach the base of the legs to ground stakes)

Tools List

Circular Saw – If you’ve got a miter saw, it makes quick work of the cutting chores. But a circular saw will do the job.

Drill/Impact Driver

Hammer (for driving anchor stakes in the ground)

1/8 inch drill bit

Tape measure

Pencil

Skill Level

Beginner

Time Needed

30 minutes per ladder (that’s a generous estimate)

Cut List

1. Cut four 1 x 3′s six-foot long.

2. Cut one piece of 2 x 4 scrap 10 1/2 inches long.

3. Cut the 1 x 2′s for the rungs of the inside legs - working from the bottom of the ladder to the top: 19 1/2 inches, 17 1//4 inches, 15 1/2 inches, 13 3/4 inches, and 12 1/4 inches.

4. Cut the 1 x 2′s for the rungs of the outside legs - working from the bottom to the top: 21 inches, 19 inches, 17 inches, 15 1/4, and 13 3/4.

5. Cut two 1 x 3′s twenty inches long (use the extra two feet cut from the leg pieces). These will be the cross braces on the legs.

Putting it all together

If you don’t want to cut all your material ahead of time, that’s perfectly fine. Pre-cutting will streamline your build and save time.

Step 1: Stack two of the 6 foot 1 x 3 inch legs with the ends flush. Drill a pilot hole through one end of the boards with  the 1/8th inch drill bit in the center of the 1 x 3 about 3/4 of an inch from the end of the board. This is where you will insert a 3 inch screw into the piece of the 2 x 4 in a moment. Repeat the process with the two remaining  6 foot 1 x 3 legs.

Step 2: With two of the legs stacked flush, screw a three-inch screw through the pilot hole into the end of the 10 1/2 inch piece 2 x 4 stock. The ends of the 1 x 3′s need to be flush and centered (meaning about 1/4 inch of 2 x 4 exposed on either side of the 1 x 3) on the end of the 2 x 4. Don’t over sink the screws or you’ll spit the wood. Then attach the other two legs to the other end of the 2 x 4. This will serve as the top of the ladder and pivot point for the legs.

Step 3: Go ahead and drill pilot holes in each end of the rungs. Attach the bottom rung (19 1/2 inches) with one 1 5/8 in. screw per side – one foot from the bottom on the inside legs. Continue attaching rungs – longest to shortest – up the ladder with one foot spacing. Now, flip the ladder over and repeat the process for the outside legs starting with the 21 inch rung.

Step 4: With the rungs attached evenly, open the ladder and stand it up. Connect the 20 inch braces to the sides of the ladder. I attached mine at the second rung from the bottom. You can adjust the width of the ladder by moving the braces up for a wider base or down to make the ladder more narrow.

Step 5: Place the tomato ladder over your tomato plant. Drive a pointed wooden stake in the ground beside two legs catty-corner style. Screw the legs into the stakes to anchor them securely.

After the growing season, simply take one screw out of each brace, unscrew the legs from the ground stakes, and fold the tomato ladders up for storage. Or move them into your greenhouse for the winter growing season.

Note: I cut two feet off the top of our original “twin tower” tomato ladders to keep neighborly busy-bodying to a minimum. Here’s the finished product.

Four of Todd’s Tomato Ladders anchored and ready with an old wooden ladder on the far left.

Friends don’t let friends use lame tomato cages! What’s your best method of caging tomatoes?

Thanks for reading and passing this along. See you in the comments!

P.S.

Thought I’d share a pic of my reward for building these tomato ladders…

My fly rod and this largemouth bass ended my Saturday on a great note!

10 Ways to Sow Revolution in Your Back Yard

[Editor's Note] This was originally published by Daisy Luther on her site The Organic Prepper. Daisy has been a friend to our site and offered lots of valuable advice and articles over the past year. She knocks another one out of the park here. Please share it with family and friends. Check out her bio at the end of this article.

 

Our Sherpa garden

Garden Rebels: 10 Ways to Sow Revolution in Your Back Yard

Sometimes I think that the next Revolutionary War will take place in a vegetable garden.

Instead of bullets, there will be seeds.  Instead of chemical warfare, there will be rainwater, carefully collected from the gutters of the house. Instead of soldiers in body armor and helmets, there will be back yard rebels, with bare feet, cut-off jean shorts, and wide-brimmed hats.  Instead of death, there will be life, sustained by a harvest of home-grown produce.  Children will be witness to these battles, but instead of being traumatized, they will be happy, grimy, and healthy, as they learn about the miracles that take place in a little plot of land or pot of dirt.

Every day, the United Nations and the Powers That Be take steps towards food totalitarianism.  They do so flying a standard of “sustainability” but what they are actually trying to sustain is NOT our natural resources, but their control.

This morning I came across one of the most inspiring, beautifully written articles that I’ve had the pleasure of reading in a long time.  Julian Rose, a farmer, actor, activist, and writer, wrote an article called Civil Disobedience or Death by Design and it is a “must read” for anyone who believes in the importance of natural food sources:

“From now on, unless we cut free of obeisance to the centralised, totalitarian regimes whose takeover of our planet is almost complete, we will have only ourselves to blame. For we are complicit in allowing ourselves to become slaves of the Corporate State and its cyborg enforcement army. That is, if we continue to remain hypnotized by their antics instead of taking our destinies into our own hands and blocking or refusing to comply with their death warrants. This ‘refusal’ is possible. But it will only have the desired effect when, and if, it is contemporaneous with the birthing of the Divine warrior who sleeps in us all. The warrior who sleeps-on, like the besotted Rip Van Winkle in the Catskill mountains.”

Does it sound dramatic to state that if things continue on their current path of “sustainability” that we are all going to die?  If you think I’m overstating this, read on.  The case is clear that we are going to soon be “sustained” right into starvation via Agenda 21.

• The European Union is in the process of criminalizing all seeds that are not “registered”.  This means that the centuries-old practice of saving seeds from one year to the next may soon be illegal.
• Collecting rainwater is illegal in many states, and regulated in other states.  The United Nations, waving their overworked banner of “sustainability” is scheming to take over control of every drop of water on the globe.  In some countries people who own wells are now being taxed and billed on the water coming from those sources.  Nestle has admitted that they believe all water should be privatized so that everyone has to pay for the life-giving liquid.
•  Codex Alimentarius (Latin for “food code”) is a global set of standards created by the CA Commission, a body established by a branch or the United Nations back in 1963. As with all globally stated agendas, however, CA’s darker purpose is shielded by the feel-good words.  As the US begins to fall in line with the “standards” laid out by CA, healthful, nutritious food will be something that can only be purchased via some kind of black market of organically produced food.
• Regulations abound in the 1200 page Food Safety Modernization Act that will put many small farmers out of business, while leaving us reliant on irradiated, chemically treated, genetically-modified “food”.

In the face of this attack on the agrarian way of life, the single, most meaningful act of resistance that any individual can perform is to use the old methods and grow his or her own food.

Growing your own food wields many weapons.

• You are preserving your intelligence by refusing to ingest toxic ingredients.  Many of these ingredients (and the pesticides sprayed on them) have been proven to lop off IQ points.
• You are nourishing your body by feeding yourself real food.  Real food, unpasteurized, un-irradiated, with all of the nutrients intact, will provide you with a strong immune system and lower your risk of many chronic diseases.  As well, you won’t be eating the toxic additives that affect your body detrimentally.
• You are not participating in funding Big Food, Big Agri, and Big Pharma when you grow your own food.  Every bite of food that is NOT purchased via the grocery store is representative of money that does NOT go into the pockets of these companies who are interested only in their bottom lines.  Those industries would be delighted if everyone was completely reliant on them.
• You are not susceptible to the control mechanisms and threats.  If you are able to provide for yourself, you need give no quarter to those who would hold the specter of hunger over your head.  You don’t have to rely on anyone else to feed your family.

Consider every bite of food that you grow for your family to be an act of rebellion.

1. If you live in the suburbs, plant every square inch of your yard.  Grow things vertically.  Use square foot gardening methods.  Make lovely beds of vegetables in the front yard.  Extend your growing seasons by using greenhouses and coldframes.  This way you can grow more than one crop per year in a limited amount of space.   Use raised bed gardening techniques like lasagna gardening to create rich soil.  If you have problems with your local government or HOA, go to the alternative media and plead your case in front of millions of readers.  We’ve got your back!
2. If you live in the city or in an apartment, look into ways to adapt to your situation.  Grow a container garden on a sunny balcony, and don’t forget hanging baskets.  Grow herbs and lettuce in a bright window.  Set up a hydroponics system in a spare room (but look out for the SWAT team – they like to come after indoor tomato growers!)  Go even further and look into aquaponics. Create a little greenhouse with a grow light for year round veggies.  Sprout seeds and legumes for a healthy addition to salads.
3. If you live in the country, go crazy.  Don’t just plant a garden – plant fields!  Grow vegetables and grains.  Grow herbs, both culinary and medicinal.  Learn to forage if you have forests nearby.  Learn to use old-fashioned methods of composting, cover crops and natural amendments to create a thriving system.
4. Raise micro-livestock.  This option may not work for everyone, but if you can, provide for some of your protein needs this way.  Raise chickens, small goats, and rabbits, for meat, eggs and dairy.  If you are not a vegetarian, this is one of the most humane and ethical ways to provide these things for your family.  Be sure to care well for your animals and allow them freedom and natural food sources – this is far better than the horrible, nightmare-inducing lives that they live on factory farms.
5. Save your seeds.  Learn the art of saving seeds from one season to the next.  Different seeds have different harvesting and storage requirements.
6. Go organic.  Learn to use natural soil enhancers and non-toxic methods of getting rid of pests.  Plan it so that your garden is inviting to natural pollinators like bees and butterflies.  If you wouldn’t apply poison to your food while cooking it, don’t apply it to your food while growing it.
7. Be prepared for backlash.  The day may come when you face some issues from your municipal government.  Be prepared for this by understanding your local laws and doing your best to work within that framework. If you cannot work within the framework, know what your rights are and refuse to be bullied.  Call up on those in the alternative media who will sound the alarm.  Every single garden that comes under siege is worth defending.
8. Learn about permaculture.  Instead of buying pretty flowering plants for your yard, landscape with fruit trees (espalliering is a technique that works will in small spaces), berry bushes, and nut trees.  These can provide long-term food sources for your family.
9. For the things you can’t grow yourself, buy local.  Especially if space is limited, you may not be able to grow every bite you eat by yourself.  For everything else, buy local!  Buy shares in a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). Visit your farmer’s market.  Shop at roadside stands.  Join a farming co-op.  Support the agriculture in your region to help keep local farms in business.  (One note about farmer’s markets:  Some farmers markets allow people to sell produce that originates at the same wholesalers from which the grocery stores buy their produce.  I always try to develop a relationship with the farmers from whom I buy, and I like to know that what I’m buying actually came from their fields and not a warehouse.)  Find a local market or farm HERE.
10. Learn to preserve your food.  Again, go back to the old ways and learn to save your harvest for the winter.  Water bath canning, pressure canning, dehydrating, and root cellaring are all low-tech methods of feeding your family year round. Not only can you preserve your own harvest, but you can buy bushels of produce at the farmer’s market for a reduced price and preserve that too.

There is a food revolution brewing.  People who are educating themselves about Big Food, Big Agri, and the food safety sell-outs at the FDA are disgusted by what is going on. We are refusing to tolerate these attacks on our health and our lifestyles. We are refusing to be held subect to Agenda 21′s version of “sustainability”.

Firing a volley in this war doesn’t have to be bloody.  Resistance can begin as easily a planting one seed in a pot.

 

Arthor bio: Daisy Luther is a freelance writer and editor.  Her website, The Organic Prepper, offers information on healthy prepping, including premium nutritional choices, general wellness and non-tech solutions. You can follow Daisy on Facebook and Twitter, and you can email her at daisy@theorganicprepper.ca – See more at: http://www.theorganicprepper.ca/garden-rebels-10-ways-to-sow-revolution-in-your-back-yard-05072013#sthash.4C5R1Lux.dpuf

 

A DiY Farmhouse Table, DRG’s Grocery Bag, and Chair Planter

by Todd Walker

Part of building resilience and self-sufficiency is taking ACTION! “Doing the stuff” as I call it.

After rearranging our house a few weeks back, Dirt Road Girl found a plan for a farmhouse table at Ana White’s most excellent site. She prints it and I’ve got my weekend project.

Ana’s plan was easy to follow and used basic DiY skills. Nothing advanced in this build. Here’s what I used.

Plan: Farmhouse Table on Ana’s site

Estimated Cost: $150 – I bought new lumber and lots of screws.

Estimated Time Investment: 10-20 hours. I spent about 5 hours each day (Sat. & Sun.) so far.

Skill Level: Beginner if you’ve ever used a circular saw. Intermediate if you just asked what a circular saw looks like.

Wood Used: Pine framing lumber from a box store. It’s rough but we like rough. You won’t get a splinter at Walker’s Diner, but you’ll see all the “character” of the wood.

Finish Used: We bought a weathered wood stain and will seal it with linseed oil (part II in a later post).

My pics don’t offer a start to finish tutorial with every detail. For that, go to Ana’s site. She offers great details for cut dimensions with 3D diagrams. This is more of an encouragement for reluctant DiYers to start doing the stuff and practice self-reliance skills.

Basic Tools Needed: Measuring tape, square, hammer, eye and ear protection, drill, circular saw, paint brush or rag for stain, sander, screws – lots of screws.

Supplemental tools… if you have them. I have never found anything resembling a straight 2×2 in a lumber yard. I bought 2×4′s and ripped them on my table saw. You could do the entire project with the basic tools list if you had to. I used two pipe vises to squeeze the table boards together. My miter saw was used to cut the 2×2′s, 2×4′s, and 2×6′s. The 2×8 was cut with the basic circular saw. I used a wood chisel to do the notches. Use an impact driver for sinking screws if you have one. If not, a regular drill will do the job.

Step 1: Cut the boards to size from the cut list on Ana’s site. I was supposed to shorten the table to 84 inches in length but got side tracked and made it the original length of 96 inches. Oh well, we have extra space for Thanksgiving dinner now.

Some of the long cuts.

Step 2: Follow the plans to begin assembly on each part of the table.

Inside and outside legs with notches ready for assembly

Glue and screw all the pieces together. I used 2 1/2 inch screws for the whole project except for attaching the breadboards to the legs. I used 3 1/2 inch screws there.

Legs, stretcher, end boards, and apron

You’ll want to do your sanding on the frame before you attach the 2×2 supports. It makes things easier. Flipping the table once it is assembled is difficult. The beast weighs a ton.

2×2 supports installed on a square frame

Attaching breadboard ends

Ana tells you to attach both breadboards before the 2×6′s go in place. I secured one breadboard then centered one table top board. I’m glad I did. Even pre-cutting the table top boards carefully, there was small gaps at the other end between the breadboard and table top boards. I remedied that by cutting an 1/8 off the 7 table top boards with a circular saw once they were screwed to the table frame. This made a tight fit for the breadboard end.

Pipe clamps putting the squeeze on the 2×6′s

There are three exposed screws in the end of each table top board. I flipped the table on its side and screwed the boards from underneath through the 2×2 supports. Two screws per board. If you want to hide all screws, you’ll need to work from the underbelly of the table. The exposed screws fits our personality and Hillbilly Industrial decor just fine.

Finished table with breadboards attached. Next step is to stain and seal the whole thing…and get some help to move this heavy puppy.

Part II will show the finished product, hopefully next weekend. Stay tuned.

Grocery Bag and Chair Planter

Not to be outdone, DRG was in the front yard starting plants in containers. We’re probably known as those weirdo’s in our neighborhood. We call it Hillbilly Industrial.

You’ve probably got some extra cloth or plastic shopping bags collecting E. coli bacteria, right? Why not repurpose them into planters. Here’s a few pics from DRG’s creative pursuits yesterday. I love her!

The bag’s caption reads, “Boss Lady”. How appropriate

The start of our front yard garden with more to come. Also, notice the galvanized bucket to the left.

DRG’s clever chair planter

DRG is a very clever girl. She attached chicken wire under the missing seat, lined it with coconut fiber, and planted flowers for our front porch. Hillbilly Industrial indeed!

She’s going to be adding more to this site. Maybe even start her own blog.

Let us know what you think. Ideas for building more resilient lifestyles are always welcome!

Keep doing the stuff,

Todd

Did Adam and Eve Practice Permaculture Before the Fall?

Editor’s note: My good friend over at Durable Faith got my wheels spinning with his article challenging conventional wisdom about farming and gardening. I’ve always grown gardens. Til a patch of earth or prepare a medium for a container garden. Plant in rows, build a fence, water, and harvest. Is there a better way to grow more food with less effort? 

In his article, Durable challenges us to pursue the ancient paths – of permaculture. We might learn something hidden. I know I did. 

Tending the Wild vs. Farming – “ask for the ancient paths”

Conventional wisdom is that mankind has evolved from hunter/gatherers to agrarian societies and that only primitive societies gather …

By the Bronze Age, wild food contributed a nutritionally insignificant component to the usual diet. If the operative definition of agriculture includes large scale intensive cultivation of land, mono-cropping, organizedirrigation, and use of a specialized labour force, the title “inventors of agriculture” would fall to the Sumerians, starting c. 5500 BCE. Intensive farming allows a much greater density of population than can be supported by hunting and gathering, and allows for the accumulation of excess product for off-season use, or to sell/barter. The ability of farmers to feed large numbers of people whose activities have nothing to do with agriculture was the crucial factor in the rise of standing armies.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_agriculture

So farming progress brought us mono-cropping (potato famine anyone), big cities, and standing armies…Progress indeed…

We know that conventional wisdom is just dead wrong on many items. God’s thoughts are higher (Isa 55:9) than our thoughts and his ways are higher than our ways.

Let’s take a fresh look at the creation story’s account of the garden

^{Geneses 2: 8} Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. ⁹ The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

¹⁰ A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. ¹¹ The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. ¹² (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin^[d] and onyx are also there.) ¹³ The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush.^[e]14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

¹⁵ The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;

Clearly, it was God who planted the garden, NOT ADAM. So, he was caring for something that already exists, sounds more like tending perennials than planting annuals.

But then came the forbidden fruit, the fall, the curse, and everything changed.

Gen 3: 17:  To Adam he said “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

So looking at this in english, it appears that when Adam was blessed, he ate perennials in a sheltered river valley, but after the curse he had to work the fields and produce annuals, battling weeds, weather, etc.

But in the Hebrew, the word translated as field (haś·śā·ḏeh) in verse 18 is pretty generically used to refer to all types of land in other places in the old testament.

A few quick examples of other ways the hebrew word haś·śā·ḏeh is translated into english

Ezekiel 20:46 -  forest land
2 Samuel 19:29 – the land
2 Samuel 23:11 – plot of land
2 Chronicles 25:18 – the wild

So then, the curse should not to be interpreted as any dissuasion or lack of permission from eating off wild and forest lands. Adam was certainly not promoted to tilling and dealing with weeds as a result of the fall of man.

In the context of what is being called ”peak topsoil”, scientists are taking a fresh look at the methods of historical indigenous peoples and the line between gathering / optimized foraging / permaculture and what we consider to be active farming has disappeared. It seems that it was the pride of the superior race that looked at gatherers and saw their methods as rudimentary.

In fact, a noted expert observed that :

“The Iroquois could support roughly three times as many people on an acre as contemporaneous Europeans could with their wheat crops.”

So much for our modern superiority of technologically advanced agriculture.

1 Corinthians 1: 27 -  But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

Jeremiah 6: 16 – This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”

As for Durable, I am studying native american soil management techniques and the modern equivalent of optimized foraging referenced by the concept of food forests.

I humbly suggest you do likewise.

http://whyfiles.org/2012/farming-native-american-style/

Related articles

• Redesigning Civilization With Permaculture (nextworldtv.com)
• 5 Ways to Make Permaculture Practical (groundtoground.org)

Just Say NO to GMOs

It’s easier said than done – saying no to GMOs. They’re everywhere. Here’s another great reason to grow you own food and get to know your local Real Food Farmer(s).

This article was original published at Daisy’s site, The Organic Prepper. Reprinted here with permission.

GMOs: Not Even in Moderation

By Daisy Luther

February 7, 2013

If I told you that there was a poison, let’s say, strychnine, for example, that you could ingest in teeny tiny minuscule doses and live to tell the tale, would you do it?  

Strychnine poisoning is one of the most painful ways to die.  

Ten to twenty minutes after exposure, the body’s muscles begin to spasm, starting with the head and neck in the form of trismus and risus sardonicus. The spasms then spread to every muscle in the body, with nearly continuous convulsions, and get worse at the slightest stimulus. The convulsions progress, increasing in intensity and frequency until the backbone arches continually. Convulsions lead to lactic acidosis, hyperthermia and rhabdomyolysis. These are followed by postictal depression. Death comes from asphyxiation caused by paralysis of the neural pathways that control breathing, or by exhaustion from the convulsions. The subject dies within 2–3 hours after exposure.  (Source)

Despite the agonizing death that could await, people used to deliberately consume small doses of strychnine as an athletic performance enhancer and as a stimulant.  The use of strychnine increased at the turn of the 20th century, then fell out of favor as the risk of use was too high.

With what we know these days about the use of strychnine, would you dip a little into your coffee and say, “Oh, it’s okay in moderation”?  Would you sprinkle a little on a granola bar to give to your child before a soccer game? Would you feed a little to your family because it was a special occasion?

*****

So, with the things we are learning about GMO foods, why do we think the consumption of these is okay in moderation?  Every week or so, some new hazard springs up in the alternative news.  The hazards are carefully and quietly swept under the rug by the mainstream media at the behest of their “johns” – the Big Food advertisers who pay the salaries of the media mouthpieces.

There are many valid, peer-reviewed studies that tell us consuming genetically modified foods is a death sentence.  Proponents of GMOs like to attempt to pick apart the science.  They like to accuse those of us who are concerned about GMOs of being foolish, uneducated and superstitious.  From their lofty perches in academia, they condescend to the rest of us, claiming that GMOs are no different than the natural evolution of plant life, and that we, the ignorant masses, are too irrationally afraid of things that are new and wonderful to deserve labeling of these chemistry projects.  They invoke guilt upon those of us who practice organic gardening and support organic farms, alleging that these “unsustainable practices” will leave the Third World to die of starvation as the non-modified crops we insist upon succumb to failure.

Here are some facts about the GMOs that are poisoning our global food supply.

Effects of GM Corn on Mammalian Health

A notorious French study on rats fed a lifetime of GMO corn proved that the rats had a 50-70% chance of developing horrific, grotesque tumors from the diet.  Naysayers attempted to refute the science behind the study and a war developed in the scientific community.    Natural News summarized some findings of the study:

• Up to 50% of males and 70% of females suffered premature death.

• Rats that drank trace amounts of Roundup (at levels legally allowed in the water supply) had a 200% to 300% increase in large tumors.

• Rats fed GM corn and traces of Roundup suffered severe organ damage including liver damage and kidney damage.

• The study fed these rats NK603, the Monsanto variety of GM corn that’s grown across North America and widely fed to animals and humans. This is the same corn that’s in your corn-based breakfast cereal, corn tortillas and corn snack chips.

Flavr Savr Tomato Caused Gastric Lesions and Death

One of the first GMO monstrosities prematurely approved by the FDA was the Flavr Savr tomato, by the company Calgene (now a part of Monsanto).  Scientists added a bit of recombinant fish DNA to slow the spoiling process.  BEFORE the tomato was approved by the FDA, the tomatoes were fed to rats for only 28 days before gastric bleeding and death occurred.  7 of the 40 rats developed bleeding stomachs and 7 more died and the FDA STILL APPROVED the tomatoes for public consumption.

 

The only reason they were taken off the market is because the flavor and texture were poor.  Had they been tasty, they’d still be on supermarket shelves.

GM cotton crops in India caused livestock death and severe allergic reactions in humans.

India began commercial planting of  Bt Cotton back in 2002.   Since that time, farm and factory workers began complaining of health concerns.

“All the evidence gathered during the investigation shows that Bt has been causing skin, upper respiratory tract and eye allergy among persons exposed to cotton… The allergy is not restricted to farm labourers involved in picking cotton but has affected labourers involved in loading and unloading Bt from villages to market, those involved in its weighing, labourers working in ginning factories, people who carried out other operations in the field of Bt cotton, or farmers who stored cotton in their homes etc.” (Source)

The issue was not limited to humans.  Sheep that grazed on the crop began to die mysteriously.  25% of the livestock died within a week of being allowed in the fields from what post-mortem analysis called “toxic reaction.”

A secret virus has been discovered in genetically modified food.

The most recent horror to come to light was released in a report by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

According to an explanation on the Natural Society website:

“…Researchers discovered a previously unknown viral gene that is known as ‘Gene VI’. What’s concerning is that not only is the rogue gene found in the most prominent GMO crops and about 63% of GMO traits approved for use (54 out of 86 to be precise), but it can actually disrupt the very biological functions within living organisms. Popular GMO crops such as Roundup-Ready soybeans, NK603, and MON810 corn were found to contain the gene that induces physical mutations.”

How does this potentially effect the consumer?  The report continues to discuss the characteristics of Gene VI.  The gene:

• Helps to assemble virus particles
• Inhibits the natural defense of the cellular system
• Produces proteins that are potentially problematic
• Makes plants susceptible to bacterial pathogens

 

Monsanto cafeterias serve organic food.

The most telling thing is that in the not-so-hallowed halls of Monsanto, genetically modified food is not served.

Those who create these science projects and label them food do not consume their own creations.

Since 2000, there have been reports that cafeterias at Monsanto plants have chosen not to serve GMOs.  A notice in one cafeteria in the UK said:

“as far as practicable, GM soya and maize (has been removed) from all food products served in our restaurant. We have taken the steps to ensure that you, the customer, can feel confident in the food we serve.”

 

Both the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller University Foundation have been found praising organic food, while simultaneously promoting Monsanto’s toxic seeds to Third World countries.

Many countries have banned GMOs, or at the very least require labeling for the consumer.

The following countries have either banned the cultivation and sale of GMOs or require a warning label:

• All countries in the European Union
• Australia  
• Chile
• China 
• France
• India
• Japan
• Kenya
• New Zealand
• Peru
• Russia
• Saudi Arabia
• South Africa
• Switzerland
• Thailand

Why are the United States and Canada not found on this list?  At the very least, why won’t these two industry leaders require labeling of GMOs?

Food safety “authorities” have no interest in safety at all.

The FDA is notoriously in bed with Monsanto.  They have insisted on no long term studies.  They regularly authorize the sale and distribution of toxins in the food supply.  The public cannot have any confidence in an agency whose board of directors enter through a revolving door with the world’s number one producer of toxic GMOs.

Over 85% of corn grown in North America is GMO.  Over 80% of soy grown in North America is GMO. Over 90% of canola grown in North America is GMO.

In one form or another, these GMO items can be found in nearly every non-organic item on your grocery store shelves.  Many fast food chains spent millions of dollars in the campaign against the labeling of GMOs when it was on the ballot in California last November, which would indicate that they too benefit from GMOs.

The question is, are these toxins safe in “moderation”?  Can you feed your children HFCS made from genetically modified corn in small amounts?

Long term toxicity has been proven beyond any reasonable doubt.  GMOs can accelerate aging, cause organ failure, cause tumors, affect unborn babies, affect fertility and weaken the immune system.  If we choose to consume these things “moderately”, how can we know what that threshold of moderation actually is, when those in charge of food safety refuse to study it, perhaps because they fear what they will discover?

I’ve always believed that foods, even “junk foods” are okay in moderation, as long as most of your diet is clean and healthy.  In the light of ever-appearing revelations about the deadly effects of genetically modified foods, I’ve revised my personal stance. I don’t believe that GMOs are acceptable in moderation and strive to avoid them for my family whenever possible, a task which is becoming increasingly difficult as a quick scan of an ingredients label will confirm.

The End Of The World As We Know It may not be the result of a horrific natural disaster or act of terrorism from overseas.  It may be as simple as pollen floating from one field to contaminate the next one, until we are starving to death or dying of cancer amidst a bounty of succulent-looking, fresh-from-the-farm poison.

 

Author bio: Daisy Luther is a freelance writer and editor.  Her website, The Organic Prepper, offers information on healthy prepping, including premium nutritional choices, general wellness and non-tech solutions. You can follow Daisy on Facebook and Twitter, and you can email her at daisy@theorganicprepper.ca

Building A Dirt Road Girl Compost Tumbler

by Todd Walker

I’ve had different compost bins over the years. I usually make them out of four shipping pallets sitting directly on the ground. We’d have to manually stir the pile with a pitchfork. I wanted to “up” grade.

“Up” being the key word here. The goal is to give Dirt Road Girl the ability to roll her wheelbarrow or garden wagon to the compost station, dump in black garden gold, and distribute to our garden and potted plants.

The Dirt Road Girl Compost Tumbler

Over the last year of fighting cancer, her body has weakened – not her desire to get beneficial bacteria under her nails. She’s never shrunk from any outdoor tasks like clearing land or hauling firewood. This is my attempt to make garden life a little more efficient and less labor intensive. Work smart, ya know.

There’s an ol’ timer who sells barrels ten minutes from our house on the main highway. I’ve traded with him in the past for plastic and metal containers. I bought two plastic 55 gallon food grade barrels from him. One for the DRG tumbler and one to be used for rainwater – or some other resilience project.

Tip: When buying containers for gardening, water storage, or food storage, make sure they are food grade. To determine if a plastic container is food grade, look on the bottom to see if the symbol below is stamped there.

My barrels contained apple cider vinegar.

Now onto the project.

Step 1: Mark and cut the axle holes.

Measure half the diameter of your barrel and place a center mark on both ends of the barrel. I used a sharpie but a pencil will work if you have good eyesight. I then cut a short piece off my axle pipe to be used to trace a circle for the cut. I had an old piece of chain link fencing pole out back. It measured 1 1/4 inches in diameter by about 6 feet in length. Center the short piece of pipe on the center mark on the end of the barrel and trace around the outside of the pipe. Repeat on the opposite end of the barrel.

I then used a 1 1/4 inch paddle bit to bore the holes in the barrel ends.

Step 2: Mark and cut the door opening.

My door measures 18″ x 12″. You want to get your door centered with the 18″ side running the length of the barrel. Use a framing square to make sure the door corners are 90 degree angles. I used a flexible 18″ metal ruler for tracing on the curved barrel.

Once you love the door outline, it’s time to cut. Since you’ll be using the cut out to make the door, don’t drill large holes at each corner to get your saw blade into the plastic to make the cut. I drilled a couple of 1/8″ holes in one corner to get my jigsaw blade started. This worked on the first corner. On the remaining corners, I held my jigsaw at an angle, braced against the barrel, and started the cut until I penetrated the plastic barrel. This technique is not for finishing work, but it’ll get the job done.

Step 3: Door instillation. Install the hinges on the door first. I placed mine about three inches in from each corner on the door. I quickly realized that my door would need a stop along both the hinge side and the latch side. I screwed two pieces of wood molding to the inside of the barrel along both 18 inch door frames. That turned out to be good fix for a floppy door.

I installed a barrel lock on the other side of the door. Not impressed with its ability to keep the door shut. I plan to replace it with a better latch.

Step 4: I then inserted the axle through the barrel leaving enough pipe to rest on the brackets. To keep the weight of the barrel off the plastic holes, I attached an “L” bracket to the pipe and barrel on both ends.

The barrel is now ready to take a spin. All I need is a frame.

Step 5: Build the frame. I’ve seen many different types of stands for tumblers: Posts in the ground, X posts, and drums that spin lengthwise. I wanted a stand that was more mobile.

Here’s my material list for my frame:

• Two pressure treated 4x4x8’s (purchased at box store) – used for vertical posts and base
• One 5’ length of pressure treated 2×4 (scrap from my wood pile) – used for cross support on base
• 5’ length of 1×6 pressure treated fence panel (scrap from my wood pile) – screwed to top of post to maintain plumb on vertical posts
• Two 5/16×5” carriage bolts (poached from an old swing set a few years back) – secure vertical posts to base accompanied by decking screws
• Hand full of exterior decking screws (I keep plenty of these and other assorted hardware on hand)
• Bracket for axle – I was going to drill a hole through the vertical posts to accept the axles but didn’t have the proper size hole saw bit. The paddle bit would have worked, but I wanted a slightly larger hole diameter to allow the axle to spin without binding. I improvised and screwed two metal caster brackets to the posts.
• Two hinges for the door
• One barrel lock

Tools needed:

• Circular saw or any saw to crosscut the stock
• Jigsaw to cut the barrel door
• Drill/impact driver and 1 ¼ inch paddle bit. The bit size will differ if you use a pole with a different diameter.
• Palm sander to take off rough edges on door and door opening left by the jigsaw.
• Measuring device and writing utensil
• Framing square

First, cut two 5’ lengths of 4×4. You’ll have two 3’ sections leftover for the base of the frame if you use 8 foot stock. To join the vertical post to the base, cut a 3 ½ inch x 1 ¾ deep notches in both ends of the vertical posts. Cut the same size notches in the center of each base piece. Newbie tip: Set your circular saw to the desired depth (1 3/4″) and make several passes over the area to be notched. Strike these “feathers” with a hammer and clean up the bottom of the notch with a chisel.

Mate the vertical posts with the notch in the middle of each base. Now, drill a suitable diameter hole for the carriage bolt in the center of each notched area. Carriage bolts aren’t necessary but recommended. Go ahead and press the bolts through holes and tighten with a nut and washer. No need to worry too much about the bases being square now. You’ll make sure they’re perpendicular when you screw in a few decking screws in the joint.

My barrel measured 35 inches from rim to rim. I decided to use 46 inches as the inside measurement between my vertical posts. I cut my 2×4 53 inches long and attached it to the back-end of the two base supports. Square it and screw it. The frame should stand on its own now.

Next, I cut my 1×6 the same length (53 inches) and attached it to the tops of both vertical posts. I then attached the brackets 13 inches from the top of each vertical post. Skip this step if you bore holes into your posts for your pipe axle.

The last step is to mount the tumbler on the frame. Since I used metal brackets, I simply slid one end of my axle into a bracket and repeated on the other side with the opposite bracket. I slid two more poached carriage bolts in the end of the brackets to keep the axle in place.

Note: If using drilled holes in the vertical posts to mount the tumbler, you’d probably want to insert the axle through the holes before attaching the bottom and top cross rails to the frame.

This was a weekend project. I worked off-and-on for about 3 hours. YMMV. Anywho, DRG now has an elevated tumbler for easy access to compost.

Future modifications:

• Add a couple of agitator bar running through the length of the barrel to help stir the contents as barrel spins.
• Replace the barrel lock with a more secure lock to keep the door from flopping open while spinning.
• Add an improvised crank handle on the end of the axle for easy spinning.
• Add some 20 inch rims and low profile tires for added mobility – just checking to see if you’re paying attention

Any suggestions on making a better “mouse trap”? Don’t be shy. Please let me know. And as always, thanks ‘muchly’ for reading. Please feel free to share this with your friends and family. I only ask that you link back to my original without changing the content. Kopimi!

 

Resilience: Bloom Where You’re Planted

by Todd Walker

Photo credit

Ever wake up in a homeless shelter on Christmas eve?

I wasn’t a stereotypical homeless guy. I had money in my pocket and bank account. I had family and friends that I could have stayed with. How did a middle class guy with two college degrees wind up spending the holidays in an old warehouse for Christmas? Doesn’t matter. What mattered was that I had a roof over my head, food, and water – and I bounced back.

During my four months of “homeless” living, I came to appreciate the amenities most of us take for granted: Hot showers, warmth, privacy, security, protection, and a place to rest. We humans need shelter. We can’t survive without it. Since we have to have these survival basics, make them as resilient as possible.

I’ve owned many houses in my life. In fact, I use to buy, fix, and sell homes before the housing bubble burst. Just after that disaster, DRG and I decided to sell our personal residence and move to her hometown to help with her aging parents. With a contract on our home and a two weeks to get out, we decided to rent a house 5 minutes from her parents. This would be a temporary arrangement until we found a place to buy. We thought we’d be there for a month of two. This “small” window turned into three years.

Bloom where you’re planted

In our move to this small house, we had to adapt from living in a 2,500 sq. ft. house to a 1,000 sq. ft. We chose this small house because it had a 1,000 sq. ft. shop in the backyard. We stored all our extra stuff there. Besides, it was temporary. Side note: This shop became the best Man Cave ever.

About six months into our temporary living arrangement, we decided not to buy and we needed to start adding value to our little rental. Our landlord basically gave us carte blanch on improving the house. We were the best tenants he ever had. We repainted the interior walls, kitchen cabinets, and I even replaced the galvanized water lines under the house.

Our next priority was a garden. The shop took up most of our available garden space. On this small city lot, we discovered new places to grow our own food. Our main area became a raised bed (12′ x 15′) next to the back deck. We added containers of assorted veggies on the deck since it received full sun. Each year we added more resilience and value: new spots to grow food, a rainwater irrigation system, compost station, and an outdoor kitchen.

Was this our dream homestead? Not hardly. But we made the best of it. I think many people believe they have to wait for the ideal situation to become more prepared and self-reliant. Don’t get caught in that trap. Bloom where you’re planted. Like the Atlanta Rhythm Section song, we added a touch of country to our city. “It ain’t much, but it’s home.” You house and home is a key resource in building resilience.

Rural or Urban?

What should you do if you live in a less than ideal situation? Not everyone can afford to uproot and move to a piece of rural property or farmstead. Many love urban living or choose the lifestyle for jobs. The problem I see with city dwelling is dependence on the big systems: Power grid, food distribution system, municipal water supply, etc. The system is fragile to say the least. You don’t have to look far for examples of how failure in one strand of this interconnected web creates a cascade effect. Panic, havoc, and mayhem results. Then the very people dependent on the big systems scream for someone to come rescue them. Urban dwellers and even suburbanites religiously put their faith in the fragile system. One hiccup can – and often does – bring the whole system to its knees.

What’s the solution?

Go local. Become less dependent on the big system. This lessens the impact of the total fail that is coming. I touched on my plan for building community to deal with the unknown unknowns here. Our most overlooked resource may be watching TV on the sofa next door. Becoming a local producer is our goal.

DRG and I can’t wait to get back to our roots of country living. Until then, our plan is to build resilient resources for our family in the following areas:

Water

If your locale is dependent on water being piped in from hundreds of miles away by electric pumping stations, an extended power outage would cause a big die off in your big city. Water is essential for life. A plan for resilient water resources should include:

• Rainwater collection. While it’s still ‘legal’, do your due diligence and set up a collection system.
• Well water. If you have funds available, dig a well. You’ll be in the same boat as those dependent on electricity to pump water unless you have the ability to draw water out of the ground with alternative power. You’ve got a genset to handle the power needs of your pump. Great. Fuel will eventually run out. How about a hand pump? or gravity feed cistern? We have three deep wells on our family property. The bad part is that two of them are dependent on the electrical grid. The other well was abandoned and capped years ago. I’m doing research now to install an alternative pumping method for this abandoned well.
• Freshwater spring. If you’re in a position to purchase property, look for land with a sustainable spring or well. Creeks, ponds, and lakes come in handy for livestock, fish, irrigation of crops, and emergency water supplies.

Food Freedom

Why is it important to know where you food comes from? We are what we eat. If you don’t want to eat the GMO fruits and vegetables from the Industrial Food Machine, what’s an individual to do. Grow your own – or at least a portion of your own food. Not only will you be eating healthier, you’re one step closer to developing self-reliance and resilience.

My long-term food storage plan only runs for six months (not recommended by the experts). I don’t store what the mainstream experts advise. Food storage is prudent but not sustainable. It runs out because we eat it – duh.

Growing our own food has been a challenge in our neighborhood. Our backyard has one tiny spot that gets about 4 to 5 hours of good sun. This past year I moved most of our garden to our full-sun front yard. I know. I run the risk of upsetting our manicured lawn neighbors. Luckily we’ve had no complaints with our foodscape near the house. Julie Bass was not as fortunate in her Michigan neighborhood.

WARNING: The Food Police are bored. What will they come up with next to make our life hell for their own amusement. (I shamelessly adapted Norseman’s fine quote from a video referring to Mother Nature’s fury: “The mountain is bored. What’s it going to do to make my life hell for its own amusement?”)

DRG and I are planning to expand into the weed infested front yard even more this year. We’ll keep some of the weeds growing for medicinal uses. We figure the beautification committee won’t mess with us if we do a gradual take over of the yard – as long it has ‘curb appeal’. It can only add value to our home since the housing bubble deflated. Wait ’til we start raising resilient backyard chickens as a science experiment for my science class.

There’s a 80 year-old man down the street that has a killer garden every year on the corner of a main intersection. He built the corner up with raised beds and packs the plants into a small garden. He sells his excess produce at his booth at our local farmers market each week. He faces the same problem we do – lack of sun in his backyard. Solution: Bloom where you’re planted.

I don’t have a plan yet for dealing with neighborly snitches. I’ll keep y’all posted on the progress and any resistance we face in our foodscaping project. Maybe I can bribe pesky snitches with fresh tomatoes.

Here’s an ambitious couple’s resilient garden. The pictures (before and after) below are an example of creative resilience over at Resilient Communities. These neighbors to our north (Canada) bloomed where they were planted

Resilience

Resilience comes from the Latin word resilio which basically means having the ability to “bounce back” from some unknown surprise.

Even if we’re paying attention, surprises happen. If we’re still breathing, we’re resilient to some degree. Our bodies are hardwired to survive. We have to do our part though. Anytime we find ourselves without the basics of survival – food, water, shelter, protection – we’ve crossed over into a survival situation.

It’s not too late. We still have time to build resources that make us more resilient. Every step you make to disconnect from the system’s ball and chain – to start connecting with your family, friends, and community – the more self-reliant, independent, and resilient you and those closest to you become.

Want to start connecting to build resilience? What’s your strategy?

 

Register Your Business, Your Car, Your Gun, Your Child, Your Life, and Your … Garden?

by Karen De Coster

In the city ghettos, the police state has always resorted to giving away gift cards for athletic shoes – such as at Footlocker – in exchange for local folks turning in a gun. Then the media follows up by bragging about how many guns the program took in, without ever questioning how the program actually motivated poor people to commit crimes in order to steal a gun to turn it in and get some Air Jordans in return.

In addition to all of the gun grabs offering free prizes to criminals who steal them, there are the domestic terrorists known as ‘people with gardens.’ These are highly-suspicious folks who the government considers to be dangerous because they: (1) have a few unattended and mostly dead attempts at vegetable growing in the corner of their yard (2) grow some of their own food and actually eat it, as opposed to the subsidized-industrial staples (3) have a mega-organic, bountiful vegetable garden that sustains the family, or (4) complete the domestic terrorism profile by not only growing their own food, but then they commit the crime of preserving food long-term via the acts of canning, dehydration, fermentation, and other horrifying tactics that deny the superiority of the Monsanto-Cargill-General Mills-Tyson Foods-Archer Daniels Midland Complex.

There is a program in Utah that has an eerily similar hook to the athletic shoe scheme – register your garden and you can win a chintzy prize. The program is called the Utah Garden Challenge. You can win a prize for telling the government about your one potted tomato plant, or, god forbid, your large organic garden that borders on felonious survivalism. The Utah government wants to see how much food the people produce. The “challenge” is a data mining scam, and consequently, it is a registration disguised as a warm-and-fuzzy happy hour for good little folks who grow a cucumber and spin a hoe in the dirt every now and then.

See this YouTube; it’s legit.

Remember what happened recently in Utah, and that is described in this headline: “Lawmaker wants to criminalize enforcing federal food law.” How dare he! The heroic Senator Casey Anderson proposed this bill in response to the Fed’s totalitarian Food Safety Modernization Act that Herr Obama signed into law. According to the Tenth Amendment Center, the bill is described as clarifying:

the difference between intrastate and interstate commerce; the latter is a power delegated to the federal government, but states constitutionally retain the authority over intrastate commerce—items which are exchanged only within the state.

Do remember who the FBI considers to be suspicious (see here). And here’s a final thought on why this might occur in Utah: that state is the home of the Mormons, a group of people who embrace, practice, and teach long-term food storage, and they also embrace the entrepreneurial spirit in terms of selling their high-quality food to those domestic gardeners terrorists who like to stock up in the case of emergency (or a Shit Hits the Fan scenario). Thanks to Cathy Cuthbert for the tip.

The Most Often Forgotten Survival Preparations

This article was written by Brandon Smith and posted over at his site Alt-Market.

Tuesday, 31 July 2012 06:47 Brandon Smith

I think it’s safe to say with some conviction that in the year of 2012 the concept of survival prepping is NOT an alien one to most Americans.  When National Geographic decides there is a viable market for a prepper TV show (no matter how misrepresentative of true preppers it may be), when Walmart starts stocking shelves with long term emergency food storage kits, when survivalism in general becomes one of the few growing business markets in the midst of an otherwise disintegrating economy; you know that the methodology has gone “mainstream”.  There is a noticeable and expanding concern amongst Americans that we are, indeed, on the verge of something new and unfortunate.

Is it the big bad hoodoo of the soon to expire Mayan Calendar?  For a few, maybe, but for the majority of us, no.  That jazz is a carnival sideshow designed to make the prepping culture appear ridiculous.  We don’t need to believe in magical prophecies to know that there is a catastrophic road ahead; all we have to do is look at the stark realities of our current circumstances.  It does not take much awareness anymore to notice looming fiscal volatility, social unrest, the potential for unrestrained war, and the totalitarian boldness of our government.  I’ll take the wrath of Quetzalcoatl any day over the manure storm that is approaching us currently.

With some estimating a count of 3 million prepper families and growing in the U.S., the motto of “beans, bullets, and band-aids” is finding a home amongst legions.  However, being closely involved in the survivalist movement during the past six years and speaking with literally thousands of preppers, it has become clear to me that we still have a long journey ahead of us before we can claim true efficiency and mastery.

Sadly, having a stockpile of food, weapons, and some slick tactical gear is not enough to ensure a high likelihood of survival, at least not in any of the social collapses that have occurred in the past century around the world.  It’s a start, but only just…

There are a number of detrimental weakness to the survivalist movement and considerable holes in prepper knowledge that must be addressed now while we have the time and relative safety to do so.  The greatest threat to the common survivalist is not economic collapse, roving bandits, Blackwater mercenaries, or predator drones; those dangers are a piece of cake compared to the threat of an overblown ego, which will get a man killed faster than the most sophisticated smart bomb.  If we cannot accept that there is always more to learn, and room to improve, we have been defeated before we have begun.

The following is just a short list of the many areas in which there is obvious and acute inadequacy in the movement overall…

Secondary Retreat Locations

Never put all your eggs in one basket.  I hear a lot of tough talk from some survivalists who claim they would rather die than leave their property.  Of course, I suspect they will see the error in this brand of bravado when the legitimate chance of death actually arises.  There is no harm whatsoever in having a backup plan.  I’m not sure any survivalist who doesn’t is really a survivalist.  Stand your ground when necessary, but don’t let pure pride and stupidity prevent you from living to fight again another day.

Physical Fitness And Health

You may be the Tom Berenger-like master sniper of your particular county, but if you can’t run a hundred yards with your rifle rig without going into coronary thrombosis, then you aren’t going to live long during a collapse scenario.  Even those preppers who have age as an excuse…don’t really have an excuse.  I personally know survivalists and homesteaders in their 60’s and 70’s who could physically outmatch numerous other preppers of the same age or younger without much effort.  The difference?  They make a concerted effort to take care of their health.

Sometimes certain wise-cracks made by the insipid yuppies of our modern era against suvivalists are true, and we should take serious note when this occurs.  The primary insult being that many of us are far too fat to outrun or outfight a paper sack, let alone a determined opponent.  I have, to be honest, seen chest beating antics from more than a few clinically obese “preppers” that were truly embarrassing.  On the bright side, this does not have to be a permanent hindrance to our success.

The solution is simple:  Eat less.  Eat healthier.  Exercise more.

A person who has attained a high level of physical fitness has done more than prove his prowess.  He has also proven he has the will and the passion to pursue a directed goal and achieve it, regardless of difficulty.  This is where the adults are separated from the children in this world.  Are you willing to endure extreme difficulty to win something of legitimate value?  Do you have the self discipline to forgo certain luxuries and comforts to gain long term advantages?  Or, would you rather take the path of least resistance and certain doom?  Personal health is no joke for the survivalist.

Community Building And Networking

Organization is not the strongest suit of the survivalist movement for a number of reasons.  The first being that our paranoia completely impedes our ability to work with others.  Now, to be clear, it is not paranoia if they are really out to get you, and with multiple leaked documents like the MIAC Report, the Virginia Fusion Center Report, and the DHS reports on “right wing extremism”, it is not as if our concerns are unfounded.  However, the movement needs to realize that the primary object of labeling us as “extremists” and categorizing us as potential threats to national security is to create crippling fear.  Their main goal is to condition preppers to censor themselves, and to stifle their own organizational efforts.

Solid community, even open formation of community, is necessary for countless reasons.  The more we isolate ourselves from one another now, the more alone and vulnerable we will be tomorrow.  Calls for “OPSEC” should be embraced to a point, but they can also become an excuse for laziness and inaction.  No prepper who goes it alone during crisis is going to come out unscathed, if they come out alive at all.  This is the great forgotten lesson of survival, from the Depression and Weimar Germany, to Argentina and Bosnia; those persons and families who were isolated simply did not make it.  The wide spectrum of skill sets and supplies needed to establish a survival foundation are far too many for any single prepper to attain.

The logical fallacy that usually prevents survival networking is the argument that if you are a bigger group, you are a bigger target.  This thinking shows a lack of prioritization.  During a social or economic collapse, EVERYONE is a target.  National chaos does not make distinctions between those who never shared their survivalist tendencies and those who did.  The DHS might, but they are not the biggest threat to the common prepper.  The most dangerous environment for the prepper, no matter what the circumstances may be, is one in which he has no support.

If you do not have ample neighbors and friends on board with the prepper lifestyle, and who can be counted on in an emergency, then you are not ready, nor are your chances very good.  Period.

Barter Markets And Trade Skills

At Alt-Market we relentlessly promote the idea of decentralized trade markets because, to be frank, they are going to spring up one day soon whether the IRS, the DOJ, or the Federal Reserve likes it or not.  The crisis in the EU has proven my position on the inevitability of the barter dynamic conclusively.  These private trade networks are becoming the new foundation for countries like Greece, Italy, and Spain, and it should be noted that the financial instabilities in America far outweigh any of the problem in those places.  If we know that economic danger is on the horizon, and we know that barter markets will be the immediate result, then why not build them now, instead of waiting and scrambling after disaster strikes?

Any survivalist that does not know who he will be trading for essential supplies, and who does not know what skills he will use to garner those supplies, is in for a world of hurt.

Overlooked But Vital Items

There is a saying in the survival movement:  You’re never done prepping.  I absolutely agree.  Unless you are a millionaire with a highly organized brain, there will always be some other piece of equipment that you’ll discover you need down the line.  That said, there are some things every prepper should have, but many, from my observations, do not.  I have also heard every excuse imaginable and some unimaginable when such people are presented with the recommendation that they obtain these items, lack of money being the usual suspect.

Yes, many of us are broke, or feel broke, these days  Invariably, though, when most survivalists examine their financial situation carefully, they will discover a host of peripheral expenses that are unnecessary or outright extravagant.  I once had a would-be survivalist make the argument that he could not afford a year’s supply of food, then admit that he had just went on a Carnival Cruise to the Caribbean.  This is an extreme example, but it illustrates a common hang up.  Now is not the time for people to live beyond their means, or to shrug off their preps so that they can have a new La-Z-Boy, cable TV, an internet gaming account, a high priced vacation, a six day a week stockpile of beer (hey, cut back a day, guys!  Try it out and see how it fits) etc.  Times are changing, and they will definitely change without us if we are not careful.

There is always a way to get the preps you need, if you are motivated enough to make it happen.  Here are a few items that seem to escape from people’s lists:

Extra Survival Clothing: Clothing is a real pain for a lot of survivalists because it is one prep that they must absolutely purchase doubles and triples of.  Good durable shoes, pants, even socks, can get expensive.  Base layer clothing like Smart Wool sometimes costs in the range of $100 or more for a single set.  Take the pain, bite the bullet, and get the absolute best clothing you can find in multiples.  It may have to last you quite a long time without replacement, especially the artificial fabrics.  Imagine having to wear the same vapor producing sweat drenched crusty duds day in and day out while sharing a retreat location with some less than amused buddies.  They may end up coming after you before the looters do.

Body Armor: This stuff is going to be at a premium in the near future.  I have already seen price spikes in good body armor in the days after the Aurora Theater shootings.  Why?  Because the fear is that the establishment will move to try to ban said gear in response, causing a rush to purchase.  That fear is not misplaced.  Plus, I would imagine a bullet to the gut, whether accidental or intentional, is not an event to celebrate with a rootbeer float.  Believe it or not, body armor rigs that include rifle plates are extremely sparse amongst preppers right now, and this simply can’t continue.

Gas Masks And Filters: Not long ago I wrote about the revolutions and rebellions that took place in Russia after the formation of the Soviet Union against the abuses of communism.  At that time, the more successful the rebellion, the more apt the Soviets were to dump chemical weapons over entire towns, mountains, and valleys, to erase the problem.  Never expect that a tyrannical government is going to fight fair.  In fact, expect that they won’t.  Even if you don’t foresee such an event taking place in the U.S., it is imperative that every person owns not just a gas mask, but extra filters as well.  Plan on dealing with multiple incidences in which your air will be unsafe to breath.

NBC Alert Items: How many preppers do you know with a Geiger Counter?  I know three, out of the hundreds I speak with regularly.  This is not a good sign.  If the Fukushima disaster has taught us anything, it is that radiological threats are not just relegated to the realm of nuclear bombs.  Every community should have several Geiger Counter devices handy, along with chemical warfare strips which change color when exposed to an offending airborne agent.  Remember the panic buying that ensued in Japan for these kinds of goods after the reactor meltdown?  Don’t overlook radioactivity.  Knowing what has been hit by concentrated fallout and what hasn’t is a tremendous advantage.

Thermal Countermeasures: A box of road flares, IR flashlights, and IR floodlights, should be in every survivalists home.  With the advent of predator drones armed with night vision and thermal vision, as well as numerous other nasty weapons platforms, the need for countermeasures that create false thermal signatures to confuse an attacker with this kind of technology is a must.

Extra First Aid Supplies: During a collapse, you become the hospital, and no amount of Obamacare is going to help you.  Almost every prepper has a first aid kit, but few have one that will really last through a prolonged crisis.  Collapse brings with it all kinds of injuries and sicknesses we never think of facing in our current atmosphere, with more frequency than I believe many would like to admit possible.  A sterile bandage may be as sought after and as rare as a warm shower in the near future, so stock an ample supply.

Solar Panels: I am astonished at how many preppers still do not have any solar power capability today.  It’s FREE off grid power, for god’s sake!  Pay the initial costs, and at least buy a system that is capable of charging and running batteries and essential electronics that will aid you in your survival.

Greenhouse: When discussing the idea of relocation, I sometimes hear the assertion that places like Montana are terrible for growing food (usually from people who have never lived in Montana).  In fact, a survival garden could be grown almost anywhere, regardless of region or climate, if you use the right methods.  One of the best methods is the use of a greenhouse, which many preppers do not have.  Set aside your preconceptions of what gardening is, and do what works.  Even in winter, some plants can be grown in a greenhouse environment to provide you and your family with precious vitamin rich food.  Just build it.

Raw Building Materials: Do you have a stockpile of lumber and nails?  What about raw iron and steel?  Sealants to repel pests and maintain your home?  Bags of concrete to reinforce a new addition?  Think about how much you will need to build after the final shoe drops.  Probably a lot more than you have ever built in your life…

No Room For Error

Time is running short, and if we are to succeed as a movement, we must be ready to hold a candle to ourselves, admit where we are lacking, and fix the problem while we have the luxury to do so.  Ultimately, the most important and most ignored aspect of prepping is our own mindset.  Do we have the correct sense of urgency, and are we acting on it?  Have we prepared ourselves psychologically for the difficulties ahead?  Are we ready to make sacrifices for survival and victory?  Will we have what it takes at our core to see this thing through?  At this very moment, many do not.  But, they have the potential to rise to the occasion.  The decision is theirs to make…

 

 

You can contact Brandon Smith at:  brandon@alt-market.com

Medicinal Uses of Garlic

From Backwoods Home Magazine Medicinal uses of garlic By Joseph Alton, M.D. and Amy Alton, A.R.N.P.
Issue #134 • March/April, 2012

Garlic is one of the greatest natural medicines nature has to offer.

Up until about 50 years ago, nature was our medicine chest. Nearly every community had a natural healer or midwife who had studied plants and their use in healing. Medicinal gardens were part of the landscape. The healer knew which plants that grew naturally around the community had medicinal properties.

One of the greatest gifts of natural medicine that can be found on this earth is garlic, or Allium sativum. It has been used as a natural remedy for thousands of years. It has antibacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral properties. It is also an antioxidant and an immune stimulant.

Medicinal uses for garlic

Garlic contains volatile oils of allin, allinase (the enzyme that converts allin to allicin when garlic is crushed), and allicin, sulphurous compounds (like diallyle disulphide), selenium, and vitamins A, B, C, and E. The volatile oils and sulphurous compounds are responsible for both its pungent odor and its medicinal properties. Organically-grown garlic tends to have a higher sulphur level, and therefore, a stronger medicinal effect. Garlic has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects that fight a variety of ailments.

Garlic has been used to help combat cardiovascular disease. It may decrease and prevent atherosclerosis by inhibiting the stickiness of platelets and blood clot formation, and by lowering cholesterol. Garlic decreases cholesterol and thins the blood flowing through already narrowed vessels. It’s this action that may lower the incidence of strokes or heart attacks in people who eat garlic daily. A word of caution to those taking daily aspirin or anti-coagulants: Because garlic can increase clotting times, do not add too much garlic to your diet.

Garlic may also decrease triglyceride levels while raising good cholesterol levels known as HDL. Again, there are both positive and negative studies regarding garlic’s influence on the levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, and HDL. Diet and exercise are your primary tools for the prevention of heart disease.

There are conflicting studies regarding the issue of garlic’s effects on blood sugar levels. Type 2 diabetics are known as “diet-controlled” and may or may not be taking additional glucose-lowering oral medications. The addition of garlic to the diet may help type 2 diabetics gain better control of their fasting blood glucose levels and offer other health benefits with its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

Garlic is known to be antibacterial, and was even studied by Louis Pasteur in 1858. In an experiment he placed cloves of garlic in a petri dish of bacteria and later noted that the bacteria were killed in the areas surrounding the garlic. Garlic is a broad-spectrum antibiotic alternative for many bacterial infections and will not lead to “super bugs” like MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) that are now rampant, especially in hospitals. Before antibiotics were readily available, wound care for victims during both World Wars included the use of garlic application. Garlic is still effective for the treatment of lacerations and cuts, and infected wounds.

The effect of garlic on fungal infections is possibly even stronger than against bacteria. Extracts of garlic have a strong suppressive effect on fungi in the soil. Yeast infections in humans, such as Monilia, are also eliminated or greatly reduced. This makes garlic especially useful to the healer since there are fewer antifungal alternatives than antibacterial. There is also a lack of significant side effects.

Unlike most herbs, studies have shown garlic to have a direct effectiveness against viruses. There are no known antibiotics that will destroy a viral infection. Colds and influenzas can cause miserable symptoms, and some flu cases can be fatal. Garlic probably works in a two-pronged attack on viruses, both directly and by stimulating your own immune defenses to fight harder. Ingesting fresh garlic may decrease the duration of a viral illness. It is thought that taking garlic before exposure to a virus will lessen your chance of getting the infection in the first place. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

How to use garlic as a medicinal remedy

The best garlic remedy uses fresh, uncooked, crushed, organic cloves — used in a warm tea or mixed with raw, unprocessed honey. Fresh garlic juice may also be utilized. Garlic also is found as a powder and a pearl or capsule of garlic oil. There are also garlic extracts or tinctures. For use of garlic in small children, it is best to simply rub raw crushed garlic on the bottoms of their feet and then apply socks.

To combat high levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood sugar, maintain a regular daily intake of one to three fresh cloves of garlic. To make the garlic more palatable, mix with raw honey or place the chopped garlic into capsules for swallowing. Watch for unpleasant digestive symptoms and decrease garlic intake as needed. Ginger tea is helpful to reduce gastric upset due to garlic use.

For internal bacterial (including bladder and kidney), viral, or fungal infections, parasites, or for respiratory congestion (to decrease tissue inflammation), consider fresh garlic tea or syrup with honey. You can also use the garlic tinctures or capsules; however, fresh garlic is always the best choice. Garlic is readily absorbed into the lungs, as evidenced by the odor of “garlic breath.” This action makes garlic a powerful treatment for respiratory infections. Sore throats are best soothed with a warm garlic tea and a spoonful of raw honey.

For prevention or treatment of wound infections, you can use cool compresses of garlic tea, honey garlic syrup, fresh minced garlic, or garlic oil in place of a triple antibiotic ointment. Cover the wound or laceration with sterile gauze dressing. Change the covering and reapply the garlic remedy once or twice daily.

Ringworm can be treated with the use of fresh minced garlic and a loose non-stick dressing for 1-2 hours only, daily for 14 days. If the fresh garlic is too painful, try applying garlic tincture daily and covering with a non-stick dressing for 14 days. The garlic tincture does not have to be removed after 1-2 hours. Ringworm infections can take a long time to heal, continue treatment for at least one week after the infection appears resolved.

Treating warts can be difficult at best. To combat a stubborn wart, use one slice of garlic and apply directly to the wart, rub some olive oil around the margins of the wart to decrease skin irritation, and cover the garlic with a dressing or Band-Aid type covering.

A single, peeled clove of garlic wrapped within gauze and placed inside of the vagina for 8-12 hours may cure vaginal yeast infections. Remove the gauze and garlic, and replace both with new ones. Repeat this for two days.

Ear infections have been cured with a slice of fresh garlic clove wrapped in gauze and placed just inside of the ear. Cover the ear with a cotton ball and secure gently with a piece of paper tape. Change the garlic and gauze every 6-8 hours, until the earache is gone. A couple of drops of warm mullein oil mixed with garlic oil and placed in the ear canal is also known to speed healing of an ear infection.

Garlic tea:

Boil 4 cups of filtered water, and cool slightly. Add 4-5 cloves of finely chopped or crushed organic garlic, fresh lemon juice and raw, unprocessed honey to taste. Drink 3-4 cups daily, either warm or cold, but do not re-boil the solution (it will neutralize the healing properties).

Honey garlic syrup:

Crush ½-1 clove garlic and place on a tablespoon. Pour raw, unprocessed honey onto the spoon. Ingest the spoonful of honey garlic syrup, every 4-6 hours, as needed.

Fresh garlic juice:

Juice only enough cloves to produce ¼-1 teaspoon juice. Mix with raw honey or fruit juice to taste. Take every 4-6 hours, as needed.

Garlic tincture:

Chop enough garlic to make one cup full. Pour into a Mason jar. Add 2 cups vodka or grain alcohol (or vinegar) and screw the lid on. Write the date on the jar.

Shake the jar daily for 2 weeks. After 2 weeks, strain out the chopped garlic and store the tincture in dark labeled bottles, located in a cool dark area. Use 5 drops, 4 times daily as needed.

A working knowledge of medicinal herbs will be essential for anyone trying to stay healthy in these uncertain times. They are weapons in your medical arsenal; don’t hesitate to use every option available in your efforts to maintain your medical well being, and that of your loved ones.

Joseph Alton retired after more than 25 years as an Obstetrician and Pelvic Surgeon. Amy Alton is an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner and a Certified Nurse-Midwife. Dr. and Ms. Alton are both Master Gardeners for their state and grow extensive medicinal herb and vegetable gardens.

As “Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy,” they host a radio program called Doom and Bloom™. Their website is www.doomandbloom.net.