Cast iron has a porous surface. The seasoning process serves to fill and smooth the surface of the pan. It’s true that the more you use and season a cast iron skillet, the more nonstick the surface becomes.

If you have some land for livestock, then give thought to raising animals that will need as little care as possible, and are survivalists themselves. Spanish goats and Navajo-Churro sheep are common in the Southwest part of the United States. You can get meat, milk, hides, and entertainment from them. Goats are picky eaters and seem to try to find the best food – another plus in the simplicity of their management.

Most Americans are still operating under the delusion that this “recession” will end and that the “good times” will return soon, but a growing minority of Americans are starting to realize that things are fundamentally changing and that they better start preparing for what is ahead. So what can we each individually do to somewhat insulate ourselves from the economic problems that are coming?…. hit the link to read more!

Tactical combat casualty care (TCCC) is the pre-hospital care rendered to a casualty in a tactical, combat environment. The principles of TCCC are fundamentally different from those of traditional civilian trauma care where most medical providers and medics train. *** Download the Army’s newest 2010 version here!

This article is a discussion piece to stimulate thought on the subject of small community recovery after TEOTWAWKI. I hope it will also be useful as a rough blueprint or checklist for local community leaders, or at least a starting point for a comprehensive plan.

Cornmeal and acorn mush is very good for breakfast on a cold morning. It can be served with sweetened milk and a dab of wild fruit jam or homemade butter. But it is also great as a main course lunch or dinner. You can also add salsa or bacon bits and grated cheese on top to get great variety. This mush is very filling and makes a great camp breakfast!

One of the basic requirements for survival in any situation for any sustained amount of time is fire. Fire and the ability to make and maintain it can be the difference between life and death. Having the proper materials and possessing the skills required to use them is something that needs to be practiced and learned before you are depending on them for your life.

The fear that Russia, a major wheat producer, will have to cut exports by at least 30 percent is good news for U.S. farmers, who now are getting more money to go along with a bumper crop this year. That big harvest, analysts point out, should spare U.S. consumers much increase in the prices of bread and other wheat-based foods despite the problems in Russia. Any price increases will hit consumers hardest in wheat-deficient areas such as the Middle East, Africa and parts of Asia. *** I find this rather interesting. What better way to wage class war than to control food? Dictators and Kings have done it for centuries. Control the food, control the people. Period.

An EMP, or ElectroMagnetic Pulse, is generated from the detonation of a nuclear device or quite possibly extreme solar activity, such as in 1859, 1989 and as recent as 1994. According to the 2004 Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States of EMP Attack, “A determined adversary can achieve an EMP attack capability without having a high level of sophistication…It has the capability to produce significant damage to critical infrastructures and thus to the very fabric of US society…” “A 1.4 Megaton bomb launched about 250 miles above Kansas would destroy most of the electronics that were not protected in the entire Continental United States.” But what about your vehicle? Hit the link and find out!

You may have heard about them: Off-the-gridders living in radical opposition to modern amenities by growing their own food and cutting themselves off from the rest of society. Not so. Sure, more people are choosing to cut their dependence on the power grid, the grocery story and fuel pump. But these new homesteaders are hardly radicals — they are simply DIYers who, for a variety of reasons, revel in self-reliance. This is their story.