Mid-Atlantic Region

It is that time of year, to plant your garden again. Depending on the region that you live you can plant lots of things. Here we have to think about cool weather crops. Things like cabbage, lettuce,  and spinach. But there are many different root crops that can go in now also. Some of the things you can plant now actually taste better after the first frost. Another thing to look at this time of year is a simple hoop house to extend the season for those vegetables that will not do well if there is a early cold snap. In fact for the cooler weather crops, a hoop house can extend the season all the way until spring, if you use row covers inside the green house.

It just goes to show that preparing for what ever may happen is a learning and growing experience.

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas. Yes I said Christmas. Those of us that know our history realize that there are some issues with December 25th being Christ’s birthday, but that does not really matter. What matters is for the time being, we still have the right to be non politically correct and say Merry Christmas, because that is what is celebrated!

None of this Happy Holidays, I know nothing of how the Jewish people celebrate their holidays this time of year. I know very little of how pagans celebrate the changing of the seasons. I have heard stories that Islam has a holiday around this time of year also, but I dont really know anything about that either.

Therefore, what most, United States citizens celebrate is Christmas. Unless something changes in the near future to get rid of the PC crowd we may soon not have the right to single out one religion and profess a celebration of it and it alone. But for now I am proud to say that I still have the right to say those words: Merry Christmas.

Most of us work in order to make ends meet. A lot of us also are very active in prepping, along with helping out with the community, friends, and neighbors. We go to work thinking about the things we need to do at home and make a plan to get it done, get home only to find out that the plan we made is shot because we immediately need to help do x, y, or z.

Remember that if you dont take care of yourself you will run yourself down to a point that can cause you health issues, both mental and physical.  I know that this will be one of those things that we will have to deal with if TEOTWAWKI ever happens. So now is a great time to learn how to deal with it along with the many other things we do to prep.

Learn what works for you to de-stress. It might be a walk in the woods, a float in the nearest skinny dipping hole, a soak in a nice warm tub, a warm blanket and skin time with your favorite person. Whatever it is figure it out now, and learn to make use of it. There are always times that give us more stress than normal, and we might be facing more of it in the near future. Trust me your friends and family will get along with you better if you learn to manage the stress that life throws at you.

Keep prepping!

In my neck of the woods, yesterday I was able to pick my first handful of wineberries. This berries are a type of raspberry but grow wild and are very invasive. The wonderful thing about them is that they taste so good. I packaged up plenty last year to make it through the winter as, once they start they just keep on producing for quite an extended season. It becomes a daily thing around here to go pick berries, wash  them, and put them away.

This year I am going to make sure and make some jam/jelly with them. I looked in my Ball canning guide and it has a recipe for berry jam which looks good. I also went out to the internet and found some nice ideas to do with wineberries,  including wineberry wine. What is around your area that can help you prepare for the rest of the year?

Well it is time for the seasons to change again. The spinach is starting to bolt. The lettuce is starting to give up it’s last leaves. The summer squash has just started its long ability to produce, soon we will be giving away the extra that we cannot eat in time. Last year I dried zucchini and still have plenty. Around my house the current animal projects are building a new chicken coop to contain the critters from getting in the road. Also the bunny project is off to a great start, with the first two litters being liters of nine each.

Now it is time to start thinking about what summer crops need to go into the ground behind the spring ones coming out. It is also time to take advantage of the commercial crops that are in season this time of year such as strawberries to make great jams and jellies. Fishing season is about to begin and with that the possibility of canning fish for the first time.

Isn’t it nice to be able to think about all the wonderful things that go along with prepping this time of year?

I was skimming through my favorite magazine the other day a came across an article I feel is worth talking about. A soldier was declared KIA during the Korean conflict, but six months later his mourning wife answered a knock at her door only to find her husband alive and well. His name is Walt Dixon. After this incident he began to write about his experiences during the conflict. He wrote a poem that has become an important part of some of the ceremonies held in the honor of heroes, fallen and well. I did a little digging and found a copy of it on the internet. The piece is very moving, and is a great reminder of the sacrifice many make every year in their attempt to keep us free and able to do the things we do, even if some of our elected officials have taken it upon themselves to lessen those sacrifices and restrict the rights that many fought and died for. Here is a copy of Walt’s poem, Please Remember Me.

Remember me, America, for I was once your son
I fought and died at Valley Forge with George Washington.
I was there at Gettysburg on that tragic day
When brother fought against brother, the blue against the gray.
I road with Teddy Roosevelt on the charge up San Juan Hill
Some came back to fight again, but I lie there still.
I went to France with the AEF, to bring the peace to you
I was twenty-one and full of fun, I never saw twenty-two.
I’m still at Pearl Harbor, since December 7th, a day of infamy
Lying silently with my shipmates on the Arizona at the bottom of the sea.
D Day, June 6th, 1944, we hit the beaches of Normandy, we fought up hill all the way
We routed the Germans and hurled them back, but what a terrible price we had to pay.
I served on a US submarine, the bravest of the brave
Until a German depth charge gave us a watery grave.
I bombed the Ploesti oil fields, and they blew with one hell of a roar,
But in that attack we were hit with flack—I’ll never bomb anymore.
In Korea I heard the CO shout, “We’ll make it and I’m sure that we will!”
I lost my life trying to take a spot called Pork Chop Hill.
Viet Nam, Viet Nam! When will we ever learn?
I’m one of the six thousand who will never return.
I left my town, my wife and kids, my home so cozy and warm.
I was killed in a scud attack, in a war they called Dessert Storm.
Two planes slammed into the towers, and thousands had to pay.
I was sent to a war called Iraqi Freedom to rid the world of Saddam Hussein and his terrorist acts.
But we were hit with a suicide bomb and I won’t be coming back.
Now those responsible and their terrorist pacts
Will face the wrath of America and I call that payback.
So in my eternity, my thoughts are all for thee
I’ll never forget my beloved America,
I pray she remembers me.
Walt Dixon

I hope that you enjoyed it and found it to be as moving a piece as I did.
Tir

What Is Freedom?
“Let me begin by saying that I’m a lifelong fan of the American way of life, particularly the way of life and the rules that our founding fathers mapped out for us a couple of centuries ago. To me, these rules are where freedom really lies. America was born out of a revolution staged by smart and tough renegades and radicals. Guys like Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, Benjamin Franklin, and Samuel Adams are the quintessential American rebels, trouble makers and innovators who stayed loyal to one another and true to one single vision: freedom.”
The above statement was made by Sonny Barger, one of the founders of the Hell’s Angels motorcycle club. Funny how a man so steeped in controversy can be quoted for his views on freedom. However, I found it to be appropriate for this article.
So, what is this freedom that is talked about so heavily at times, yet whispered about at others? Is it an idea? A right? An obligation? I would like to inject my opinion into this discussion.
Freedom is an idea that we have the right to pursue. We are each born free, but that freedom is not ours to keep. It is something that we must constantly be striving for, a state of mind that must be exercised, and a battle to be fought.
Does having the right to speak your mind make you free? No, speaking your mind when you want/need to makes you free.
Does owning a firearm make you free? No, it does not. Using and training with that firearm makes you free.
Does storing and owning food and supplies make you free? Of course not. It’s the will to keep it and use it that makes you free.
Freedom is an idea. The idea that a person can do what they want to when they want to, so long as it infringes on no other’s freedom. Even an enslaved person can be free. Freedom of the mind is just as powerful, if not more so, than freedom of the body. If you can free your mind, then your body is open to follow.
I write this not to make some political statement, nor did I do it to stir up an argument. I merely wanted to get you to ask yourselves something. What does freedom really mean to you? I know what it means to me, and I will stand behind those beliefs 100%. I hope you find this thought provoking.

So we are all learning that the founding fathers put in a way to get rid of trash in Congress if we use it. Get out and vote them out.

Now for a couple of other things I have been learning lately in my path to better preparedness. I expanded the garden this year to include lettuces. Since the weather has been nice and cool it really has grown very well. I simply tilled the soil,  added compost,  added some fertilizer,  and then planted in the top of rows.  It was not hard at all. The little plants have taken off like rockets in the weather pattern around here.

I have been very happy with the growth and loving having the ability to grow a few more things myself. But there is something that I needed to learn. How exactly do you harvest leaf lettuce? My first thought was go to the outside of the plant where the leaves are bigger and just break some off, which seems to work well. But in doing more research last night I learned that lettuce can reproduce the leaves if you leave about one inch above the ground and cut the top of the leaves off leaving the one inch to regrow! Nice.  Lots of salad for this time of year.

See once you start to take responsibility for yourself, you never stop learning. I need to learn about edible flowers, I understand they go very nice in salad.

Keep prepping!

Firstly, I’d like to say hello to everybody here at United States Preppers. I’ve done some posting for some other sites, but would now like t do the same here. I am part of the younger generation of preppers, ringing in at a mere twenty years of age. However, I don’t think that is in anyway a handicap, but rather a gift. I come forth with a fervent thirst for knowledge and experience.

I was lucky enough to be raised by a father who has been a prepper for as long as I can remember (and longer, I’m sure), and who made it his goal to pass his love of preparedness on to me. I’d say he succeeded, as I greatly enjoy learning a new skill or some new piece of knowledge. Since leaving home I’ve tried to expand on what he taught me of food storage and gathering, woodworking, and firearm appreciation and application. To this end I began to learn leatherworking, including curing and tanning my own hides, knife repair (though repair could be read as “returning to function” as I cannot restore one to its former state.). My wife is even trying to teach me something of herbal remedies. But I must admit she finds me a stubborn pupil, as I find grinding flowers and brewing teas a bit to dull to do when I could be outside with my dogs or working in my garden. Lastly on my list is outdoor survival. I view this as an important must for anyone who wants to prepare for the “sh*t hitting the fan” scenario. If any are interested I hope to share some of my thoughts and knowledge in these areas in this blog.

Again, thank you and hello to all here at United States Prepper for this great site, and I hope to see it grow into all that it could be.

Tir

“The glorious are rarely around to know of their own fame.”

After taking a few steps toward self sufficiency, one of the things that you will find you self doing is a lot more learning. This might include learning about how to grow a garden, can foods, drying foods, etc.

The steps that we took first were to find someone else that knew what they were talking about, and to take a class from them. Maybe here in this group we can put together that type of information and have it available to all. One of biggest things that you need to think about is water. There are multiple ways that people get water, either through city plumbing, water well, cistern, or stream. However you get your families water, you need to find a way to store some incase of emergency.

We have been able to use multiple methods so far but I am not yet happy with them completely. One way is that we have a well, and through our education we have learned how to make a well bucket, and a simple pump. Also we have found water cans and started storing water in those. Another option that here on the homestead we use is rain water. Having found 55 gallon plastic barrels they are simple put under the rain gutter drops. If you get fancy with them you can install a valve in the side of them with a bulkhead adapter.

A simple solution is to buy water at the grocery store for storage either in gallon jugs or smaller bottles. Just remember you will need a lot of water per person.

I am still looking at a cistern as a water storage device for larger quantities of water and longer term use. What ideas do you use for water storage?