Episode-2337- Listener Feedback for 12-3-18

The Survival Podcast Posted on by 6
Episode-2337- Listener Feedback for 12-3-18 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Today on The Survival Podcast I take your questions on guns, hunting, the #metoo movement, being offended, the Amber Guyger murder trial, credit, cocktails, ducks, liberty and more.

Make sure if you submit content for a feedback show that you put something like “comment for jack”, “question for jack” or “article for jack” in the subject line to assure proper identification for my screening process.

Please understand I receive several hundred emails a day and can’t get them all on the air.

I also do put out a lot of information on Facebook from emails that I can’t fit on the program though so keep em coming.

Join Me Today As I Respond to Your Calls and Discuss…

  • If you could only get one gun for hunting, training and plinking what would it be
  • An article on the #metoo movement and why I think it is dangerous
  • What actually happens if you don’t complete a census form
  • What we can learn from the Amber Guyger Indictment
  • Rebuilding credit, what to do and what not to do
  • Why adding a very small amount of saline improves cocktails
  • Security for a hands off flock of Muscovy ducks
  • Could you turn a rehabbed community/neighborhood into a “Libertyville”

 

Resources for today’s show…

 

Sponsors of the Day

 

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK (866-658-4465) and you might hear yourself on the air.

Join the MSB Today

Join the MSB Today

Want Every Episode of TSP Ever Produced?

Remember in addition to discounts to over 40 vendors who supply stuff you are likely buying anyway, tons of free ebooks and video content, MSB Members also get every edition of The Survival Podcast ever produced in convenient zip files in blocks of 24. More info on the MSB can be found here.

Duck Chronicles Episode Sixteen – Lucy Chases a “Bad Bird” off the Scene

The Survival Podcast Posted on by 2

So I wanted to give an overview of my scaled down sprouting system today for the new flock of only 10 Rouen Ducks.  The old system was based on 5 gallon buckets but they would not work well for a much smaller quantity.  The key is to keep the mat of seeds nice and thick so they don’t dry out and can fully sprout well.

This is not the best over view of the system due to shooting one handed and due to a few disruptions.  One disruption was great though.  I often discuss how Charlie (our pit-pointer mix) defends our birds and chases away any big birds.  We taught him this by using the command “bad bird”.  This instantly puts him on full alert status and any big bird must be chased with hatred and rage off the property.

We don’t differentiate between actual bad birds (hawks that eat ducks or herons that clean out fish ponds vs. vultures), any big bird to Charlie is bad, and to be chased.  Due to his vigilance we have only lost one chicken in 6 years to a hawk.  I have also talked about how I have had to do a lot less training with Lucy then I did with Charlie.  Charlie has trained her for instance that people are not permitted to come though the gate without being let in.  It has been incredible to watch and makes you feel good as a trainer when you dog, trains your next dog for you.  I talked about that a lot in my episode about “Understanding the Canine Brain“.

Well today you get to see it in action.  I have done almost no “bad bird” training with Lucy, but Charlie has been on the ball.  As I get set up to do this episode a turkey vulture roosts on top of a power pole, the ducks only known a big ass bird is over them head for cover and just watch Lucy Lu make me proud!  Bad Bird you gotta go!

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These are the buckets I used, but as I say you can really use any suitable sized container.  https://low.es/2BNVui5

 

Etekcity Wireless Remote Control Electrical Outlet Switch – Item of the Day

The Survival Podcast Posted on by 9

lightswitchesEvery day I bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience and I have researched enough to recommend.

Today’s TSP Amazon Item of the day is the Etekcity Wireless Remote Control Electrical Outlet Switch Kit.  These things are just awesome and for only 30 bucks they provide a lot of convenience.  The set comes with two remotes and 5 individual switches.

They are pretty intuitive but here is how they work.  You plug one of these into an outlet, then you plug in what ever you want to control remotely into it, you just installed it, you are done.  Now if it was unit one, when you push “on” for unit one, what ever is plugged into it comes on, when you push off, it goes off.

I know some of you are thinking, oh gee another gadget so people can sit on their ass and not even walk across the room to turn on a light.  Now hold on, here are a few uses that make a lot of sense.

For one we have a floor lamp that is behind the couch, to get to it you have to walk around the back and contort yourself in an odd position to get to it.  It isn’t a huge deal but it is a pain in the ass and it is also the best place for the lamp.  Install one of these and no more contortionist activities to turn on the lamp.

When I first found these our grandson is too short to reach the wall switch in the bathroom, so I installed a small light, popped in one of these.  No more, “I’m scared to go to the bathroom alone” stuff.  Ended the excuse cold and he learned to see to his own needs.  He also enjoyed using a remote to turn on lights.

I shoot videos at my desk and I have some pretty heavy lights that make the room work well for that.  Say I want to shoot a video on the fly, push a button they come on, then off.  Not a big deal but when it comes to my work with as much as I do I try to be as efficient as possible.

How about your annual Christmas lights?  For us our tree is one of those pre lit jobs.  Dorothy has some weird form of OCD around lights on Christmas trees, (okay honestly she is a Christmas tree Nazi, Really) that is unsettling. So I got a pre lit job to end it!  After that she started building her annual “Christmas Forest”.  She has like 30 of those small tinsel trees she wire tied lights to.  It really is beautiful but it is almost impossible to get to the wall and shut it off.  Not with one of these, I just hit 2 and 3 when we go to bed and the forest is dark.

How about a shop with a light on the far end?  I use these for my fish tanks, this way I can shut off all my lights with one push of a button for the night.

Some of you likely have older parents with mobility problems, hey 30 bucks and make their life a little easier right?

Okay you electric Nazis that hate phantom loss of electronics that are plugged in but not on.  This can really add up, but if you put one of these in the connection and test it with a Kill a Watt, you will find they draw 1/10th of a watt in standby which is almost nothing.  Over a year that would cost about 10 cents in electricity, where some devices can cost 20-30 dollars a year in “vampire draw” or even more.  With that alone they can pay for themselves. 

So if you have any lights or other electronic devices you would like to be able to turn on and off as easily as you do a TV, check out the Etekcity Wireless Remote Control Electrical Outlet Switch Kit today.

Remember you can always find all of our reviews at TspAz.com

P.S. – Tune in today for a simple hack that will making using these things even easier than it already is.  All you need is a sharpie marker.

 

Episode-2336- Expert Council Q&A for 11-29-18

The Survival Podcast Posted on by 9
Episode-2336- Expert Council Q&A for 11-29-18 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Today its Friday so it’s time for expert council show. To ask a question for a show like this, just send an email to me at jack at thesurvivalpodcast.com with “TSPC Expert” in the subject line.

Today on The Survival Podcast, the expert council answers questions on solar power, jump packs, bee keeping, butchering, fermented food, kidnapping prevention, permaculture and more.

In the body of your email first tell me the council member your question is for. Second ask your question concisely in one to two sentences maximum. Third any and all details after that. This is the formula to give you the best chance of getting on the air.

I do what I can to get as many of your questions as possible on the air but can’t always get to all of them. Our council is made of a wide variety of experts in everything from the tactical to the practical and everything in between.

To get more information on our Expert Council visit our “Meet the Expert Council Page” to learn more about them and their specific areas of expertise.

Join Me Today As Our Experts Discuss…

  • How Harris was wrong on solar – Steven Harris
  • Jump packs for emergency vehicle starting – Shawn Mills
  • End of year bee keeping procedure – Michael Jordan
  • Butchering pastured poultry – Darby Simpson
  • The health benefits of fermented foods – Chef Keith
  • Preventing kidnapping – Dan Ohmann
  • To swale or not to swale, that is the question – Jack

 

Resources for today’s show…

 

Websites of the Expert Council Members

 

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK (866-658-4465) and you might hear yourself on the air.

Join the MSB Today

Join the MSB Today

Want Every Episode of TSP Ever Produced?

Remember in addition to discounts to over 40 vendors who supply stuff you are likely buying anyway, tons of free ebooks and video content, MSB Members also get every edition of The Survival Podcast ever produced in convenient zip files in blocks of 24. More info on the MSB can be found here.

Dexter-Russell Spatula with Walnut Handle – Item of the Day

The Survival Podcast Posted on by 2

Every day I bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience and I have researched enough to recommend.

Today’s TSP Amazon Item of the day is the Dexter-Russell Spatula with Walnut Handle.  They call it a pancake turner, I am sure it works great for that but I haven’t made a pan cake in a decade or more.  In the end it is a spatula, so big deal right?  Hold on there, if you cook with carbon steel or cast iron you want one of these, trust me.  Nothing else comes close.

I first learned about this little spatula from Paul Wheaton in what still to this day is likely the best resource article about cast iron cookware on the internet.  I will admit I was skeptical but Paul really does go all in on projects so I ordered one.  It to this day is my favorite spatula.  I will dig to the bottom of a sink full of dirty dishes to find it before using anything else.

The key is this spatula has two features that most others don’t.  First the edge itself is flat, it doesn’t have an angle or curve.  Due to this it scrapes things off metal but doesn’t dig into metal.  Every other metal spatula I have when you push food in a steel or cast pan you can feel it gripping into the metal.  This ain’t good!  We use steel and cast because as it gets seasoned it is smoother than a baby’s butt.  That can’t happen if you are constantly putting minor scratches into the metal and the polymerized seasoning we are trying to develop.

The next thing is the corners, here we want them round.  Why?  If they are square they dig into the side walls of the pan.  This seems so simple yet almost every spatula I have ever found, other than this one, fails on one or both of these factors.

Lastly, I am not a gear snob but I do like my tools to look good and this one does.  Walnut handle and brass rivets just look good.  And walnut property cared for will last a long time.  As to proper care it is similar to knives.  1.  This thing and NOTHING with a wood handle should ever go in the dish washer.  Just wash it in the sink and 90% of your issues are over.  2.  Wood preserved with oil lasts longer than a human life time.  Wood that dries out, lasts for only a fraction there of.  I simply use mineral oil on my cutting boards and all wood in my kitchen.  When ever I oil one of my boards I take that opportunity to put oil on all my wood handles in the kitchen.  Just rub it on with your finger and wipe off the excess and call it good.

As it stands I bought the Dexter-Russell Spatula about 6 years ago when Paul suggested it to me.  I still have it, it still looks brand new and it is still my favorite spatula.  Not bad for a measly 16 bucks!  Sometimes it really is little things that simply make your daily life run just a little bit better.  For me switching to carbon steel and this turner did that for my time in the kitchen anyway.

Remember you can always find all of our reviews at TspAz.com

 

Episode-2335- Listener Calls for 11-29-18

The Survival Podcast Posted on by 9
Episode-2335- Listener Calls for 11-29-18 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Today on The Survival Podcast I take your phone calls on fish tanks, side hustles, government jobs, guns, emergency services, active shooters, green houses, planting trees and more.

Remember to be on a show like this one just pick up your phone and call 866-65-THINK.

The best way to improve your chances of being on the air is ask your question or make your point up front, then provide details.

Also please do your best to call from a quiet area with a good connection and speak up so you can be well heard.

While I can’t put all calls on the air but I do my best to get as many of them on as I can.

Join Me Today As I Respond to Your Calls and Discuss…

  • Rehabbing old fish tanks
  • How working for the state is like slavery
  • How to properly mount a scope
  • What should you do when a ambulance running code is behind you
  • More on active shooter issues in office buildings
  • Some follow up to the green house show
  • What would I be planting right now in Texas

 

Resources for today’s show…

 

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK (866-658-4465) and you might hear yourself on the air.

Join the MSB Today

Join the MSB Today

Want Every Episode of TSP Ever Produced?

Remember in addition to discounts to over 40 vendors who supply stuff you are likely buying anyway, tons of free ebooks and video content, MSB Members also get every edition of The Survival Podcast ever produced in convenient zip files in blocks of 24. More info on the MSB can be found here.

Spicy World Black Tellicherry Peppercorns Item of the Day

The Survival Podcast Posted on by 8

pepperEvery day I bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience and I have researched enough to recommend.

Today’s TSP Amazon Item of the day is Spicy World Black Tellicherry Peppercorns and I recommend it based on a philosophy I have about all things.

“Whenever possible pay less and get better quality”

In this case you may wonder how that applies to something like pepper.  Well lets look at it this way, pepper is a go to spice, if you cook likely you use salt and pepper daily.  Any good cook knows that fresh ground pepper is the only way to go.  Why?  Well black pepper’s real magic is in the oils, if you buy preground most of that wonderful taste and aroma is gone by the time you use it.

If you have ever wondered why pepper smells so amazing when you grind it, it is those oils being released.  And aroma and taste are incredibly linked.  This is why food tastes so bland when you are sick and congested and can’t smell.

So what most people buy is a small jar of peppercorns at the market, usually malabar, which is fine but about as base model as you can get.  They will end up with 2-4 ounces of pepper and pay 4-5 bucks for it.  If we do the math you are now paying 20-40 dollars a pound for a low quality product.

Conversely this one pound bag of Tellicherry peppercorns is 13.49 on Amazon with free shipping on prime.  What is a Tellicherry Peppercorn?

Tellicherry peppercorns are like San Marzano tomatoes: they need to come from Tellicherry, a city on the Malabar coast of Kerala in India. They’re considered some of the finest peppercorns in the world, and one of the few “names” in pepper that people are familiar with.

As black pepper goes it is especially sweet, and has aromas from fruity to grassy to citrus and pine—but most of all, a certain bright freshness. The sweet, balanced flavor and complex aroma and really hard hitting spiciness makes it my go to pepper.

And that one pound bag will fill about 4 jelly canning jars, the 4th will be about 3/4th full.  I just pop them into my vaccucanner and seal them up, you can do the same with a Foodsaver and the jar attachment.  When I get down to 2 jars I order more, I never run out, hey we are preppers right.  Key is if you use pepper daily and most of us do, you don’t really need to vac seal them, just put them in a jar.  Don’t ask me to explain why, but the price per ounce goes up if you order a two pack, so if you want more than one, get the one pack and change the quantity in your cart.

This is a small savings I admit but if you do this with many of the spices, herbs and seasonings you use regularly it adds up over a year and you build up a storage, and you cook with top vs. mediocre quality.  As to quality this item has had 988 reviews on Amazon, it averages 5 stars and only 2% of reviewers rated it two stars or lower.  That is stellar performance, give them a try and you will see why.

Remember you can always find all of our reviews at TspAz.com

 

Episode-2334- Bryan Jacobs from Vets2Success on the Transition to Civilian Life

The Survival Podcast Posted on by 4
Episode-2334- Bryan Jacobs from Vets2Success on the Transition to Civilian Life Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Bryan Jacobs founded Vets2Success as a Non-profit program that creates programs for veterans to rehabilitate to their communities through food an brew programs. This organizations purpose is to inspire, mentor, educate, and change the lives of homeless and displaced veterans and impact the communities in which they live.

This program was created after the loss of the Bryan’s younger brother to veteran suicide, as well as the founder’s personal battle with readjusting back into his local community. With food and brew as his guiding passion he shows veterans a path they to can share and have a new purpose in life through something they love.

I met Bryan at the San Antonino Veterans Beverage Competition and was immediately impressed with the work he was doing and his passion for helping our veterans get on their feet after their service ends.  I have been doing TSP for 10 years now, in that time 98% of our guests request to come on the air.  I very seldom reach out and invite anyone, Bryan is one of those in the small handful of exceptions to this rule.  When I met him I knew I wanted to help him tell his story.  Tune in today and you will understand why.

Resources for today’s show…

 

Sponsors of the Day

 

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK (866-658-4465) and you might hear yourself on the air.

Also remember we have an expert council you can address your calls to. If you do this you should email me right after your call at jack at thesurvivalpodcast.com with expert council call in the subject line. In the body of your email tell me that you just called in a question for the council and what number you called in from. I will then give the call priority when I screen calls.

Join the MSB Today

Join the MSB Today

Want Every Episode of TSP Ever Produced?

Remember in addition to discounts to over 40 vendors who supply stuff you are likely buying anyway, tons of free ebooks and video content, MSB Members also get every edition of The Survival Podcast ever produced in convenient zip files in blocks of 24. More info on the MSB can be found here.

Masontops Complete Mason Jar Fermentation Kit – Item of the Day

The Survival Podcast Posted on by 7

Every day I bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience and I have researched enough to recommend.

Today’s TSP Amazon Item of the day is Masontops Complete Mason Jar Fermentation Kit.  Previously I reviewed a product called FermentEm Mason Jar Lids.   But, I have been asked for alternatives and I have researched a lot of them and found another great one to recommend.  I want to point out here while I am reviewing the full kit, you can get…

 

You can also get these in regular vs. wide mouth jars but I personally prefer wide mouth for most fermenting.   Anyway I am very happy with this product.  The pebbles do a great job keeping stuff under the brine, everything cleans up in seconds with just hot water and they just fricken work, and like the FermentEm lids they are waterless so they can’t dry out, they are about as fool proof as it gets.

For more info see the video below where I give an over view and show a few of the ferments I have going right now.  And consider the Masontops Complete Mason Jar Fermentation Kit or specific components of it for your fermenting needs.

Remember you can always find all of our reviews at TspAz.com

P.S. – The endorsement of this product should not be seen as a negative to my previous endorsement of the FermentEm product, both of these items are stellar, that said, so far I would give a very slight edge to the Mason Tops Pickle Pipes, they are just fantastic and store in such a small amount of space.

Episode-2333- A New Look at the Old Green House

The Survival Podcast Posted on by 16
Episode-2333- A New Look at the Old Green House Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I have been though a few greenhouses at this point, enough to now have an opinion of what I would do if I had my choice and sufficient budget for a brand new one.  I do what to be clear, what I am talking about today is a homesteader’s or gardener’s green house.  Not a small farm in high tunnels or a nursery growing 10s of thousands of plants.

There are many advantages to a Green House but if you don’t pay careful attention to design, materials and placement you are going to end up regretting it.  I have tried a variety of materials, I will talk about them today and specifically tell you which ones to avoid.  I also think what you design should be compatible with your goals for it, there is no one right answer.

For instance some people may just want a place to start a few dozen to a few hundred plants each winter.  Honestly such people would be better served by and indoor rack and light system, a cold frame or a grow tent.  Either that or a small heated green house more like a big closet than a true green house.  That said I am also now for building the most square footage you can, in today’s show I will tell you why.

Join Me Today to Discuss…

  • Purposes of a Green House
    • For starting plants early
    • Growing though the winter
    • Holding food crops though the winter
    • Protecting tender perennials
    • To combine with another system – (Like Aquaponics)
  • Green House Transparent Materials and My Opinion of Them
    • Tuftex Polycarb Clear Panels
    • Polycarb Twin Wall Panels
    • Green House Films
    • Recycled Windows
    • Plate Glass Panels
  • My View on Green House Structure
    • Plan how big you want it, then make it bigger
    • The cost and work of a concrete floor is likely worth it (unless you want to grow in ground)
    • If significant light can’t get though a wall, make it an insulated wall/roof etc
    • Design your Solar Aspect for Nov. 6th to Feb. 4th – (45 days each side of the winter solstice)
    • If you want to grow in winter, consider true heating ability (gas/electric/etc)
    • Use geothermal heat in some way if you can
    • For the best results design your green house to “close up” at night
    • Think about ventilation, this is where second hand or cheap windows work well
  • Additional considerations
    • Don’t put it in the back 40
    • Run electricity and water to it
    • Keep things as “square” as possible
    • Stick to “standard” sizes as much as you can
    • In ground, etc. is a great idea if it works for you
    • Make sure you really are going to get a positive ROI before you do this
    • My opinion on “pop ups” just don’t do it!
  • Final Thoughts

 

Resources for today’s show…

 

Products Mentioned on Today’s Show

 

Sponsors of the Day

 

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK (866-658-4465) and you might hear yourself on the air.

Join the MSB Today

Join the MSB Today

Want Every Episode of TSP Ever Produced?

Remember in addition to discounts to over 40 vendors who supply stuff you are likely buying anyway, tons of free ebooks and video content, MSB Members also get every edition of The Survival Podcast ever produced in convenient zip files in blocks of 24. More info on the MSB can be found here.