Aquaponics for Food Production with Stephen Raisner – Epi-3115

The Survival Podcast Posted on by 1

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:14:31 — 30.8MB)

Stephen Raisner is a leading aquaponic consultant and founder of Potent Ponics. He has helped pioneer many of the methods now use for high value and hard to grow crops in aquaponics and has worked on projects around the world including Canada, Jamaica, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and across the US.

During his time working with aquaponics he developed a method now known as dual root zone planting which allows for a much wider range of crops to grow via aquaponics than was previously possible with traditional methods of production.

Steve is also the host of the Growing With Fishes Podcast which is on its 6th year with over 700 hours of educational content for your garden be is soil or aquaponics. On the show they interview botanists, biologists, professors and other industry experts to share the latest in gardening methods and practices.

Today we discuss….

  • What is aquaponics
  • How can aquaponics fit into a homestead or intentional community as part of its cultivation plan
  • What equipment is needed to run an aquaponic system
  • What kind of methods do you use for various crops grown in aquaponics
  • What species of fish are commonly kept in aquaponics
  • What crops grow best for beginners in aquaponics
  • How much does an aquaponic system produce compared to soil or other methods
  • What does aquaponics offer over other cultivation methods
  • Can you grow fruit trees and other odd ball crops like root crops in aquaponics
  • And a ton more

 

Resources for today’s show

 

Sponsor of the Day

 

Stephen’s Links

 

Bitcoin Resources

 

Video Version of 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.

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Winchester 51 Piece Gunsmith Screwdriver Set – Item of the Day

The Survival Podcast Posted on by 10

smithkitEvery 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 the Winchester 51 Piece Gunsmith Screwdriver Set.  Look strait out of the gate this is not really “the kit” for the big time gun enthusiast that tinkers often with many projects.  It won’t do everything  you will even need in drivers for guns, but it will do most, like 95%.

No what this kit is for is your range bag.  I can’t tell you how many times I have been at a range and a fellow shooter had some maintenance issue and no tools to fix the situation.  With this kit and a basic cleaning kit, a shell extractor and some lube if you can’t fix it at the range, you likely need a gun smith or to use your warranty if it is yet to expire.

driverkitbackThis is more than just a gun smith kit though.  Come on, 15 bucks and some change for a good quality kit that has 48 different driver bits in it.  You know what I am going to say right.  Put one in the glove box of your vehicles.  Perhaps one in your Go Bag or BOB as well.

Does it have every torx bit, no but it has 7 and the one you are looking at pissed off because you expected it to be a Phillips bit likely will be one of those.  This is also a great gift to a young person who has finally be trusted to maintain his/her own firearms and frankly a good gift for anyone you need to get something for, not something spectacular just something.  You know what I mean.

Pick up one or a few of these and the first time you need it, you will feel like it just paid for itself.  Again this isn’t top quality on the level of say Forester or Grace USA (which I keep in my smithing box) but for about 18 bucks it is extremely versatile and I have never had one fail me yet.  So give the Winchester 51 Piece Gunsmith Screwdriver Set a look and determine if it might be the right product for your range bag or other needs.

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

P.S. – Even if you don’t own a single firearm you should pick up one or two of these.  The ones in my boat and in my truck have both saved my butt a time or two.  Looking at a screw that needs turning and not having a simple tool with which to turn it suck.  Especially when it is either really hot or really cold outside and said screw is the one that can get you home.

The Shotgun – The Most Versatile of All Prepper Guns – Epi-3114

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:44:01 — 23.8MB)

Today we are going to talk about the shotgun.  My goal is to give the listener a fundamental understanding of exactly how shotguns work.  What all the jargon like shot size, choke, gauge, etc. means and more importantly why it matters.  I also would like to dispel some myths and explain why in my view, the shotgun is the ultimate prepper gun.

Join Me Today to Discuss…

  • What exactly is a shotgun and where did it come from
  • What is “shot” and what do those numbers mean
  • What exactly is a “gauge” and what relation does it have to caliber
  • Anatomy of a shotgun shell
    • Case
    • Primer
    • Powder
    • Over powder wad
    • Shot cup wad
    • Shot (payload)
    • Overshot wad (optional)
    • Shot buffer (optional)
  • Understanding load information and shot sizes
    • Decrypting the load information on a box of shells
    • Good Explanation of Shot Sizes – link
    • High brass and magnums
  • A look at shotgun actions
    • Break action (double and single)
    • Pump action
    • Semi auto
    • Bolt
    • Lever
  • Shotgun uses
    • Small Game
    • Big Game
    • Sporting (clays, etc)
    • Defensive/Offensive
  • Chokes and uses
    • Cylinder bore
    • Skeet
    • Improved Cylinder
    • Modified
    • Improved Modified
    • Full
  • Gauges and thoughts on them
  • How Gauge is Calculated
    • 10 Gauge – .775 “caliber”
    • 12 Gauge – .729 “caliber”
    • 16 Gauge -.662 “caliber”
    • 20 Gauge – .615 “caliber”
    • 28 Gauge – .550 “caliber”
    • 410 Bore – .410 “caliber”
  • Patterning reality
    • Point and pull is a myth
    • Ammunition can have a huge effect on pattern
    • It is more about density than size
    • Patterns on moving targets are different than still targets
    • Precision shooting is the key
  • Choosing a shotgun for your use
    • What do you want it to do for you
    • What budget do you have
    • What weapons do you already own
    • Consider fit as it relates to function
    • Don’t discount the 20 gauge
  • Getting into reloading, the shotgun is the ultimate thing to reload for

 

Resources for today’s show

 

Sponsor of the Day

 

Bitcoin Resources

 

Video Version of 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.

Join the MSB Today

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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.

General Hydroponics Combo Fertilizer Kit- Item of the Day

The Survival Podcast Posted on by 1

PRICING AERT – Bringing this around today because the gallon size is marked down to 86 dollars for a kit of all three and that will grow a literal ton of hydroponics greens.  And yea I mean a damn actual ton.  The cost on the gallon set of three spent pretty much all of 2022 so far over 110 dollars.

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 General Hydroponics Combo Fertilizer Kit, this stuff is easy to mix, complete and it works, I mean it really works.  But before I go on, I actually prefer Masterblend for most hydro needs.  As long as you use air tight storage Masterblend Stores infinitely, costs less and ships easier since it is dry.

So why this product at all.  Well I found it when both Masterblend and Texas Tomato Food were impossible to get last spring when everyone and their mother jumped into growing food. And it worked really good and it does have some advantages.

First is as long as you follow the instructions (order of adding to your system) since it is liquid it mixes really easily.   Next if you are growing out plants that fruit it is really easy to fine tune as your plant progresses from growth, to bloom to fruiting.  Last even though I am linking to the combo kit, if all you are doing is starting plants to transplant size, you can get just the Flora Grow and it will do all you need at the lowest recommended level of use.

So it does have a lot going for it and for some with small indoor kratky or seed starting systems they may not mind the cost increase per gallon of actual hydroponics fluid.

Next yes this is “synthetic” fertilizer as most hydroponic fertilizer is, if you want something different you need to be in the world of aquaponicis or wormponics or something like that.  That said I have tons of worms living in my hydro systems, so at the proper levels of use these fertilizers (all of them Texas Tomato, MasterBlend, General Hydroponics, etc) do not create “sterile environments”.  That is a myth and one that needs to die.  If it were so legumes would not set nitrogen nodules in them for one thing.

That said after many experiments with hydro I am now only really using it to grow some herbs in winter and start seeds for my gardens and aquaponic systems etc.  I will say more about that this week on the air.   In the end though hydro works and for some with very little space it is one of the best options you have.  This fertilizer is a great option for specific needs or smaller systems.

If however you are doing larger systems with hydro I think  you own it to yourself purely based on economics to go with MasterBlend.

On the General Hydroponics Combo you can get that either in

 

The combo kits are composed of three parts which is good becuase if you do standardize on this you will run out of Flora Gro before the other two, the three parts are…

  • Flora Gro – a General purpose fertilizer, sufficient for fast growing greens and plant starts as a stand alone.
  • Flora Micro – Provides the micro nutrients plants need for full growth and healthy fruiting.
  • Flora Bloom – Gives a good kick of P and K to encourage blooming.

 

So if you prefer a liquid nutrient consider trying the General Hydroponics Combo Fertilizer Kit in either a quart or gallon size depending on your needs. Oh and right now most of the options are on sale.

Last I want to make sure I am 100% understood here.  If you are going to grow nothing but salad greens, you absolutely can use the Flora Gro only.  I would personally buy it AND the Flora Micro but you don’t have to.  What I would personally do if I wanted to use this for indoor hydro is, buy one gallon of Flora Gro and one quart of Flora Micro.  I would then add 1/4th the amount of micro and both would run out at the same time.  That would cost right at 50 bucks today, so it doesn’t save much over the Gallon sized combo kit, but it will easily do a full season of indoor growing and you can spend the other 30 bucks on lights, net cups or say rapid rooter plugs.

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

 

The Basics of Understanding and Using Lightning – Epi-3113

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:51:23 — 25.5MB)

Today we are going to talk about the Lightning Network which is a “Layer 2” solution for bitcoin transactions.  If that sounds complicated, don’t worry I will help you make sense of it all today.  There is a lot of Fud about Lightning, generally this comes from shitcoiners in general but mostly from Bitcoin Cash holdouts who chant nonsense such as, “Bitcoin Cash is the Real Bitcoin”.

The reality is Lightning is exactly the type of solution bitcoin’s creator, Satoshi Nakamoto envisioned for bitcoin and its perceived shortcomings.

Nakamoto wrote the following in 2010…

“The nature of #Bitcoin is such that once version 0.1 was released, the core design was set in stone for the rest of its lifetime.”

Today we will talk about how Lightning actually works, why making BTC transactions fast and cheap is only part of its utility, how the reality of modern currencies come in and lastly even how we can use emerging technology that leverages lightning for true “local and community economies”.

This will be Episode 4 of “The Bitcoin Breakout”, the first four episodes can be found here until we get the new stand alone site and feed for breakout editions up and running.

Join Me Today to Discuss…

  • What exactly is the Lightning Network
  • The basics of how the Lightning Network works
  • The pros and cons of running your own lightning node
  • Bitcoin is a “bearer instrument” and what that means
  • Why the entire concept of “layered solutions” protects bitcoin by keeping it “conservative”
  • Why the ability to settle dollars on Lightning is actually the biggest news right now
  • How to get your BTC into Lightning Form
    • Use Exodus
    • Cash App now has withdraw over Lighting
    • Take lightning payments for what you sell
  • My favorite lightning wallets to start out with
  • What Lightning is Really Coming After
    • Payment Networks
    • Fund Raising
    • Content Monetization
    • The Gig Economy
    • Advertising – Like the Fountain App
    • MiniMints and How they May Create “Local Currencies” – link to learn more
    • What else can you think of?
  • You can fight this, but it won’t matter

 

Resources for today’s show

 

Bitcoin Resources

 

Video Version of 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.

Join the MSB Today

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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.

Ersatz in the Confederacy – When the Shit Really Hit the Fan

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ersatzEvery 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 Ersatz in the Confederacy: Shortages and Substitutes on the Southern Home Front by Mary Elizabeth Massey.  If you really want to understand what a crisis is, this book will make it very clear to you.

So what is an ersatz, it is an item made or used as a substitute, typically an inferior one, for something else.  In other words when you don’t have coffee you use roasted chicory root for instance.  But if you read this book you will see it was much deeper and traumatic than that for those that lived though this time.

We toss around the term, “shit hit the fan” a lot in the prepper space.  Consider though that from the day this nation was founded until today, there has never been a time in America where the shit hit the fan as hard as it did for the south in the war between the states.   Great depression you say?  Hold on and read this book.

The northern strategy to win the war quickly went from a full on military over run (which didn’t work) to a strangle hold approach.  The north had a naval advantage and control of rail and greater ability to communicate with things like the new telegraph system.

Even in the parts of the south were a musket ball never flew in anger, suffering was great.  As one reviewer of this book put it,

“During the WW2, men and women on the home-front were encouraged to “Use it up,wear it out, make do, or do without.” After reading this book, however, the men and women of the Southern home-front did that and more.
.
From 1941 to 1945, butchers may have been asked for a free soup bone for the dog, but as the Civil war dragged on, it wasn’t unusual for a Confederate butcher to hang dressed rat in the window…when one was available.”

Talk about hard times!  And this book doesn’t just tell you what they went through, it tells you what they did to get through it.  If you are worried about stability and long term security of our society.  And if you feel that true hardship may again fall our people, this book is required reading.

Additionally if you just have an interest in real history beyond dates and facts you should read this book.  It tells the real story of the suffering of civilians in time of war.  Our nation has largely been insulated from the direct effect of war since the end of The Civil War in 1865.  Hence the American people have a highly disconcerting tolerance for war.  Perhaps a reminder of what it is like for those not carrying powder and shot may alleviate that a bit?

Additionally as preppers we should be keen on knowing how people actually survived a true multi year crisis that included a hot war zone in their back yard, advancing and resource taking enemy troops and shortages of anything and everything necessary for survival and comfort.  If this sounds like something you would like to know more about check out Ersatz in the Confederacy: Shortages and Substitutes on the Southern Home Front today.

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

P.S. – This book was first published in the 50s and reintroduced in the early 90s.  I guess that is why no kindle version exists.  I have linked to the soft cover, but if you prefer a hard cover version, they have that option as well.

Out Back with Jack – The Survival Podcast – Epi-3112

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:27:37 — 20.1MB)

Today we have another episode of  “Outback with Jack”.  These podcasts will be generated though live steam sessions done early early in the morning.  These will have an approximate start time of 0830 -11:30 CST.

These podcasts will are a lot like old school TSPC episodes on a variety of topics, many quite topical from the news and from social media.  Each show will covers a bullet point list of 5-12 topics that I will handle rather rapid fire.

From there we will talk about what ever the live audience comes up with.  These livestreams will then be converted to MP3s and put out in the standard TSPC Podcast feeds under the new series title of “Outback with Jack”

Today we are going to discuss red flag laws, the dire state of our economy, confirmation bias, Russia’s response to sanctions and more.

Todays Subjects Include…

  1. My thoughts on “red flag laws” and how they may vary a great deal by state
  2. How Biden’s gas tax holiday could actually make EVERYTHING worse
  3. What would you do if I put you “in charge of the economy” in the US right now
  4. Why do smart people reject truth and good ideas with their only “research” being seeking confirmation
  5. Why we really need to stop “burning American treasure” in Ukraine – link
  6. What the US could learn form Russia in their response to US led sanctions, but likely never will
  7. How bad could all this get, how bad do I think it will get, it’s a pretty big delta between the two, for now

 

Resources for today’s show

 

Sponsor of the Day…

 

Bitcoin Resources

 

Video Version of 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.

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.

Expert Council Q&A for 6-23-22 – Epi-3111

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:18:36 — 18.0MB)

Today on The Survival Podcast the expert council answers your questions on red flag laws, the energy crisis, monetary policy, diet, tools, permaculture, investing, rabbits, prepper fantasy land and more.

Make sure if you submit content for an expert council show you do the following….

      1. Email it to me at jack @ thesurvivalpodcast.com
      2. Put TSPC Expert in the subject line
      3. Ask you question and state the expert you have the question for in one coherent sentence
      4. Hit the return key a few times and then give all the details you think are necessary

 

Following that procedure makes it about 100X more likely your question will get though screening and sent on to one of our experts.  All expert council members can be found on the Meet the Expert Council Page.

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

  • In the Ron Paul Liberty Highlights
    • The real reason gun grabbers want “red flag” laws – Dr. Ron Paul
    • How climate crisis hype has produced an energy crisis – Dan McAdams
    • The fed does not know what interest rates should be, no one does – Chris Rossini
  • The thrombogenic cholesterol hypothesis of heart disease – Dr. Ken Berry
  • Top five tools under 30 bucks – Tim “Toolman” Cook
  • Swales on steep slopes, to swale or not to swale – Geoff Lawton
  • A lightning round of questions on investing and economics – John Pugliano
  • A few questions on rabbits, feeding, use of left overs, etc. – Nick Fergusion
  • A rude awakening for those that think MAG and growing all your food are “the solution” – Jack

 

Resources for today’s show…

 

Tim’s Tool Links

 

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.

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.

Dragro Electric Pruning Shears – Item of the Day

The Survival Podcast Posted on by 1

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 Dragro Electric Pruning Shears.  These are not a necessity, a good pair of Felco Hand Pruners will do for most of a typical small homesteaders needs.  However these have some real advantages.

The first is power.  Check the video at the bottom of this review, as you will see even thick black locust limbs cut like butter.  A brach like that one can be easily pruned with a pair of Felco F-2s for sure but it takes some effort.  Second is if you are doing a lot of pruning it will wear you out and can lead to cramping and fatigue.  Using the Dragro Electric Pruning Shears is just pulling a trigger.

Next up is the real reason I bought these in the first place, using them is, well, addictive.  Here was my plan which worked perfect by the way.  I have a lot of scrub growing in my orchard, I want it all chopped and dropped.  Another asset I happen to have on my homestead is an 11 year old grandson.  Like most young boys he likes tools, gadgets, etc.  So my plan was teach him to use these safely and have him chop and drop while he does his morning chore of filling the duck pools.

Again this worked great, first day he came in from his chores he told my wife, “Grandmaw this is addicting”!

Now I know some of you wonder why I didn’t get a tool like this from DeWalt as they are my go to power tool platform.  Simple answer is they don’t make a tool like this yet.  Neither do any of the big power tool platforms, yet anyway.

So what do you get or the money here?  The tool itself, all the hand tools to maintain the tool, a hard carry case, two 21volt batteries and a charger.  I find two batteries great as one is always powered up.

Last as you know I am not a fan of “uni-taskers” so I love when I find a second use for a new item.  Well I just culled 6 roosters and I found this was great for, um, “de-heading”, see the video for an explanation of this but not a demonstration.  Additionally it took the feet off the leg quarters as easily as it cut though the limbs in the demo.

Again this is not something most of you need but many may decide it is something you want.  Every person I have let try this one said, “I am going to get me one of these” or something similar.   I will try to get some more videos to add in the future but for now I think the one below will do a good job of showing how great it works and all the stuff that comes with it.

So if you want to have a great tool for pruning and really great for chop and drop give the Dragro Electric Pruning Shears a shot.  I know they are not cheap but they are really a great piece of kit and I have to say, it didn’t just work on my grandson, it worked on me too.  I really love using them.  What can I say, some part of every man stays a little boy that likes cool tools.

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

Update – Turns out DeWalt does have a pruner.  It will cost as a bare tool about the same amount as this item does with the full kit.  It is not yet on Amazon but if you are a DeWalt Person you can get it at Home Depot and it is available on “pre order” at Acme Tools (wonder if Wile-E-Coyote knows this).  Anyway it looks to be a BEAST!  I will be getting one for review and I am sure it will be on Amazon in due time.  That doesn’t mean that this item isn’t great but I want you to know you have other options.  Here is the item on DeWalt’s Website.

Decentralizing Meat Processing with Josh Phoenix – Epi-3110

The Survival Podcast Posted on by 8

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:50:17 — 25.2MB)

Josh is an independent butcher, entrepreneur and agorist. After stumbling into a career at a full service meat processor and learning a dying art, he stepped away to help individual ranchers and homesteaders process large livestock at home.

He currently is working to navigate the state’s stance on professional processing, while offering consultations and training for those looking to learn home processing as Liberty Meat Solutions. In addition to consulting, he runs a live broadcast and podcast by the same name, and is launching Renagade Butcher seasonings through crypto-only crowdfunding.

He joins us today to discuss decentralizing meat processing, self processing on the homestead and ton of other cool stuff, including gear, tips, cooking and more.

Resources for today’s show

 

Josh’s Links

 

Sponsors of the Day…

 

Bitcoin Resources

 

Video Version of 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.

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.