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Image | How to Harvest and Save Tomato Seeds
How to Harvest and Save Tomato Seeds
by threemealsfarm

With the waning of the blistering summer heat comes the end of the life cycle for many of the summer crops planted in the garden and produce available at the farmers market. This means it is time for harvesting seeds for the next growing season and saving the promise of delicious produce for years to come.
How to Harvest and Save Tomato Seeds
 by threemealsfarm

With the waning of the blistering summer heat comes the end of the life cycle for many of the summer crops planted in the garden and produce available at the farmers market. This means it is time for harvesting seeds for the next growing season and saving the promise of delicious produce for years to come.
Image | A Look into the Future of Preparedness and Resiliency Provisions
A Look into the Future of Preparedness and Resiliency Provisions
by Denis Korn

As a small business owner, I find it is very important to understand the costs and trends that will affect my business and my bottom line.  With the ever-increasing turbulence in the world causing new stresses (weather, energy, economic) and more people becoming informed of our predicaments, I routinely reach out to my suppliers to get their feedback on their production status and future outlook. 

Here is my perspective on current trends relating to food products for shelf-stable food reserves and resiliency provisions in general.  In the 37 years that I have been in the natural foods, outdoor recreation, and emergency preparedness industries as a retailer and manufacturer, I have experienced a number of fluctuations and factors that have influenced the availability and pricing of foods and supplies for preparedness.  A number of current factors and converging events are affecting the preparedness marketplace today and potentially in the near future. 

In addition to my own present-day observations and experience as a retailer of food reserves and preparedness products, I have very recently surveyed a number of suppliers, processors and manufacturers for their assessment of current conditions in the marketplace and wish to share the results with you here.
A Look into the Future of Preparedness and Resiliency Provisions
 by Denis Korn

As a small business owner, I find it is very important to understand the costs and trends that will affect my business and my bottom line.  With the ever-increasing turbulence in the world causing new stresses (weather, energy, economic) and more people becoming informed of our predicaments, I routinely reach out to my suppliers to get their feedback on their production status and future outlook. 

Here is my perspective on current trends relating to food products for shelf-stable food reserves and resiliency provisions in general.  In the 37 years that I have been in the natural foods, outdoor recreation, and emergency preparedness industries as a retailer and manufacturer, I have experienced a number of fluctuations and factors that have influenced the availability and pricing of foods and supplies for preparedness.  A number of current factors and converging events are affecting the preparedness marketplace today and potentially in the near future. 

In addition to my own present-day observations and experience as a retailer of food reserves and preparedness products, I have very recently surveyed a number of suppliers, processors and manufacturers for their assessment of current conditions in the marketplace and wish to share the results with you here.
Image | Five Ways to Store Tomatoes
Five Ways to Store Tomatoes
by JW

With bumper crops and unpredictable weather conditions, figuring out what to do with your pile of tomatoes can sometimes be a challenge. Being creative and having a variety of methods to put away and store the value of that wonderful fruit will give you months' (if not years') worth of enjoyment from your Summer and Fall harvests. Here are five ways to store your tomatoes for future use and to ease you through the cold winter months with tomato goodness.
Five Ways to Store Tomatoes
 by JW

With bumper crops and unpredictable weather conditions, figuring out what to do with your pile of tomatoes can sometimes be a challenge. Being creative and having a variety of methods to put away and store the value of that wonderful fruit will give you months' (if not years') worth of enjoyment from your Summer and Fall harvests. Here are five ways to store your tomatoes for future use and to ease you through the cold winter months with tomato goodness.
Image | Vehicle Everyday Carry
Vehicle Everyday Carry
by Aaron M

The average American spends up to 12 years in their car, and that means that you are probably going to be spending oh… around a sixth of your life in your automobile in various stages of transportation, idling, and using colorful language to describe your frustrations to your fellow drivers.

While I can’t help with making the daily grind pleasant, in this article we’re going to explore some things you can do to make sure that the events that happen in and around our cars are less stressful – and that’s a good thing, because less stress = longer lives = more time spent in cars.

With that in mind, let’s think back to Understanding Emergencies and Everyday Carry. We can apply these same templates to our vehicles, to make the most unpleasant moments on the road a little more manageable.

Vehicle Everyday Carry
 by Aaron M

The average American spends up to 12 years in their car, and that means that you are probably going to be spending oh… around a sixth of your life in your automobile in various stages of transportation, idling, and using colorful language to describe your frustrations to your fellow drivers.

While I can’t help with making the daily grind pleasant, in this article we’re going to explore some things you can do to make sure that the events that happen in and around our cars are less stressful – and that’s a good thing, because less stress = longer lives = more time spent in cars.

With that in mind, let’s think back to Understanding Emergencies and Everyday Carry. We can apply these same templates to our vehicles, to make the most unpleasant moments on the road a little more manageable.

Image | Cooking with the Sun
Cooking with the Sun
by Hilarybethhodge

We hit 108°F this week in the Sierra Foot Hills of California.  It's too hot to do much of anything, but it is definitely too hot to cook in the house.  We have used our sun oven all summer, but this week we were particularly thankful to have an outdoor cooking apparatus, something that requires no electricity, charcoal, or propane.

The following recipes are fool-proof, easy, and reliable recipes for cooking in your sun-oven.  You don't have to own a sun oven or solar cooker to use these recipes; you can easily use these recipes in your electric or gas oven as well.  However, I highly recommend a sun oven.  They are efficient, easy to use, and help to keep the heat outside on hot summer days.
Cooking with the Sun
 by Hilarybethhodge

We hit 108°F this week in the Sierra Foot Hills of California.  It's too hot to do much of anything, but it is definitely too hot to cook in the house.  We have used our sun oven all summer, but this week we were particularly thankful to have an outdoor cooking apparatus, something that requires no electricity, charcoal, or propane.

The following recipes are fool-proof, easy, and reliable recipes for cooking in your sun-oven.  You don't have to own a sun oven or solar cooker to use these recipes; you can easily use these recipes in your electric or gas oven as well.  However, I highly recommend a sun oven.  They are efficient, easy to use, and help to keep the heat outside on hot summer days.
Image | The 12 Crucial Questions of Preparedness Planning
The 12 Crucial Questions of Preparedness Planning
by Denis Korn

Awareness of our global circumstances and predicaments first came about for many readers of this article through watching the Crash Course. For others, it has evolved from the experience of challenging situations that prompt a more prepared response to future events. Many of our readers have started taking action and moving forward by reviewing the Crash Course Self Assessment and answering the initial questions found in the Self Assessment and the following article. The first steps that arise from answering these questions can sometimes be the hardest to take, but they are all-important. Read on; there is much to think about.

The following 12 questions and the corresponding subset of questions apply to any preparedness planning scenario you believe to be appropriate.  Whether it be a scenario of financial collapse, natural disaster, grid-down event, or civil unrest, there are many questions to ask – and many possible answers.  Answer them carefully.  Your safety, health (emotional and physical), peace of mind, and comfort depend on it.

The 12 Crucial Questions of Preparedness Planning
 by Denis Korn

Awareness of our global circumstances and predicaments first came about for many readers of this article through watching the Crash Course. For others, it has evolved from the experience of challenging situations that prompt a more prepared response to future events. Many of our readers have started taking action and moving forward by reviewing the Crash Course Self Assessment and answering the initial questions found in the Self Assessment and the following article. The first steps that arise from answering these questions can sometimes be the hardest to take, but they are all-important. Read on; there is much to think about.

The following 12 questions and the corresponding subset of questions apply to any preparedness planning scenario you believe to be appropriate.  Whether it be a scenario of financial collapse, natural disaster, grid-down event, or civil unrest, there are many questions to ask – and many possible answers.  Answer them carefully.  Your safety, health (emotional and physical), peace of mind, and comfort depend on it.

Image | How to Make Lacto-Fermented Pickles
How to Make Lacto-Fermented Pickles
by threemealsfarm

This is a super easy and nutritious alternative to the vinegar, water-bath canning method of pickling cucumbers.  It utilizes fresh cucumbers as they become available in your garden.  This method is quick enough to make that during the peak of cucumber production, we make a small batch of pickles every day or so.  The results are a tasty probiotic treat.
How to Make Lacto-Fermented Pickles
 by threemealsfarm

This is a super easy and nutritious alternative to the vinegar, water-bath canning method of pickling cucumbers.  It utilizes fresh cucumbers as they become available in your garden.  This method is quick enough to make that during the peak of cucumber production, we make a small batch of pickles every day or so.  The results are a tasty probiotic treat.
Image | DIY Simple Chicken Waterer
DIY Simple Chicken Waterer
by JW

Poultry nipples are metal and plastic valves that dispense a drop of water when they are pecked.  They provide an economical way to provide fresh, clean water to your chickens on a continuous basis.  This not only saves the producer time, but also helps ensure the health of your flock.  As any experienced backyard chicken owner knows, keeping a clean water source is a tedious process involving cleaning out the waterers at least once every day.  Chicken nipples can be threaded into the bottom of a 2 or 5 gallon bucket, as we have done here, or you can rig up more complex systems attached to PVC pipe.
DIY Simple Chicken Waterer
 by JW

Poultry nipples are metal and plastic valves that dispense a drop of water when they are pecked.  They provide an economical way to provide fresh, clean water to your chickens on a continuous basis.  This not only saves the producer time, but also helps ensure the health of your flock.  As any experienced backyard chicken owner knows, keeping a clean water source is a tedious process involving cleaning out the waterers at least once every day.  Chicken nipples can be threaded into the bottom of a 2 or 5 gallon bucket, as we have done here, or you can rig up more complex systems attached to PVC pipe.
Image | Milking a Goat by Hand
Milking a Goat by Hand
by JW

When a person or family starts down the path of building resiliency into their lives, many projects and tasks get added to an ever-growing list of things to do.  Store water, put away some extra food, evaluate your energy use, and consider the various scenarios where your preparations and skills might be tested. For many people, putting in a garden is a big step toward resiliency building.  There is a lot to learn.  But once that garden is in place and you get that great tasting produce in your belly, you start to think about expanding operations.  What about chickens?  Fresh milk would be really great!  It can be a slippery slope towards complete self-sufficiency.  If you have the space and an adventurous nature, you might consider getting a few dairy goats to provide incredible milk (which can, of course, also be used for making cheese and yogurt) and to be used for weed and brush control.

Dairy goats can be an easy-to-manage and enjoyable way to provide fresh milk on a daily basis, but having some background information about what it will take to get that milk is important.  The intent of this article is to give you a working understanding of the milking process as one of the components to make raising and working with dairy goats enjoyable and rewarding.
Milking a Goat by Hand
 by JW

When a person or family starts down the path of building resiliency into their lives, many projects and tasks get added to an ever-growing list of things to do.  Store water, put away some extra food, evaluate your energy use, and consider the various scenarios where your preparations and skills might be tested. For many people, putting in a garden is a big step toward resiliency building.  There is a lot to learn.  But once that garden is in place and you get that great tasting produce in your belly, you start to think about expanding operations.  What about chickens?  Fresh milk would be really great!  It can be a slippery slope towards complete self-sufficiency.  If you have the space and an adventurous nature, you might consider getting a few dairy goats to provide incredible milk (which can, of course, also be used for making cheese and yogurt) and to be used for weed and brush control.

Dairy goats can be an easy-to-manage and enjoyable way to provide fresh milk on a daily basis, but having some background information about what it will take to get that milk is important.  The intent of this article is to give you a working understanding of the milking process as one of the components to make raising and working with dairy goats enjoyable and rewarding.
Image | Firearms Maintenance
Firearms Maintenance
by Aaron M

Maintaining firearms is a simple task that adds another element of responsibility to firearms ownership. Similar to any mechanical device, firearms are prone to wear, breakages, and corrosion that accompanies any device that has moving metal on metal. Be it rifle, pistol, shotgun, or anything in between, there are some very common things you can do to prolong the life of your firearm and ensure its proper and reliable function.
Firearms Maintenance
 by Aaron M

Maintaining firearms is a simple task that adds another element of responsibility to firearms ownership. Similar to any mechanical device, firearms are prone to wear, breakages, and corrosion that accompanies any device that has moving metal on metal. Be it rifle, pistol, shotgun, or anything in between, there are some very common things you can do to prolong the life of your firearm and ensure its proper and reliable function.
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 Prep Now for the Coming Winter Challenges
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the needs and sustainability of our family. We have six young children, our oldest just turned 12 and our youngest just turned 3 months old. I love the considerations that the article had above and thought I would add a few things that I have considered for our situation. My...
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