August 30th is the birthday of the late Joachim Rønneberg, a hero of the Norwegian resistance during World War II. He was born in 1919. His exploits earned him the War Cross With Sword, Norway’s highest military honor. In April 2013, Rønneberg was presented with a Union Jack during a ceremony at the Special Operations Executive (SOE) monument in London to mark 70 years since the successful Gunnerside heavy water plant sabotage mission. Rønneberg died in 2018, just one year short of his 100th birthday. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 102 of the SurvivalBlog …

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August 26, 1946 was the official release date of George Orwell’s pointedly satirical novel “Animal Farm.” — August 26, 526, is the official anniversary of the invention of toilet paper by the Chinese. We celebrate this, though not because of its convenience. In fact, it has many shortcomings, some of which are described in the articles and letters of SurvivalBlog. Our celebration of it is primarily because we now have an official metric of just how hardcore of a prepper you are as well as a metric for just how economically unstable your country is. — Today’s feature article is …

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I’m hooked on AR-15 style of rifles, and I own more than a few, not counting what my lovely wife owns, or my two daughters. Some years ago, I purchased the then-new Colt AR-15 chambered in .22 LR. Sadly, that particular rifle wouldn’t reliably function with any type of .22 LR, and I made adjustments and tinkered with it, but finally got rid of it. So, quite a few years passed before I even thought about another AR-15 rifle chambered in .22 Long Rifle (LR). Not long ago, I was shopping for another AR. However, none were to be found …

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This is the third in a series of home canning articles dedicated to ways of making your home canning experience easier, quicker, more efficient, and less stressful. My hope is that they’ll add something new to the mix by offering some canning techniques which many home canners may not be aware of. My first two articles in the series were: Uncommon Canning Techniques Canning Tomato Sauce, a New Twist Canner Water-Level Conundrum One of the big frustrations for beginning home canners, and for many veterans as well, is trying to figure out exactly how much water to boil in the …

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When I see clusters of apple trees in box store parking lots, I wonder how many of them will actually become productive. The trees are usually clones of great varieties, like honey crisp and golden delicious. But for many well-intentioned homeowners, coaxing quality fruit on a consistent annual basis from these trees can be a challenge. This how-to article will describe how to thin fruit to increase reliable apple production. Warning, thinning fruit is very counterintuitive (see Figures 1 and 2). This article will describe cutting seemingly healthy “baby apples” from your tree. But, anyone would agree, one healthy apple is better …

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To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those –or excerpts thereof — in this column, in …

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“Respect for human rights is not social work; it is not merely an act of compassion. It is the first obligation of government and the source of its legitimacy.” – Ronald Reagan

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Today is the birthday of British folk-rock singer Maddy Prior. Best known as the lead vocalist of Steeleye Span, her singing career has lasted more than 50 years, with both touring and session work. She was born August 14th, 1947. August 14th, 1945 was Victory In Japan (“V-J”) Day. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 102 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more …

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“I used to visit and revisit it a dozen times a day, and stand in deep contemplation over my vegetable progeny with a love that nobody could share or conceive of who had never taken part in the process of creation. It was one of the most bewitching sights in the world to observe a hill of beans thrusting aside the soil, or a rose of early peas just peeping forth sufficiently to trace a line of delicate green.” – Nathaniel Hawthorne

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