Monthly Archives: December 2017

Last Call for Questions For Bug Out Trailers Part Two

Posted on December 30, 2017 by Modern Survival| 27 Comments

About a month ago Steven Harris and I did an off the cuff bug out trailer episode and asked for questions for part two.  Well it was one of the most commented episodes of this winter so far so we are coming back with part two on Tuesday this coming week, January the 2nd.

So this is the official “last call” for questions for that show, again it will air on Jan. 2nd which is a Tuesday but I have asked Steve to consolidate the questions and get me a copy of them by Monday.  So the best advice to make sure you get included is get your last call questions posted here by Sunday the 31st.

Please don’t email in these questions, please post them in the comments below.  We will be taking all questions from the comments on this post and from comments on the original episode.

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Episode-62- TSP Rewind – The How, What and Why of Saving Seeds

Posted on December 29, 2017 by Modern Survival| 1 Comment
Episode-62- TSP Rewind – The How, What and Why of Saving Seeds Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

rewindToday is an episode of TSP Rewind, commercial free versions of past podcast episodes.

Today’s episode was originally, Episode-1054- The How, What and Why of Saving Seeds and was first published on Jan. 10th 2013.

The following are the original show notes from that episode.

There is Magic Within Seeds but Saving Them Isn't Mystical

There is Magic Within Seeds but Saving Them Isn’t Mystical

I was talking with Ben Falk of Whole Systems Design yesterday about how more and more small seed companies are now buying at least some seed from companies associated with the ilk of Monsanto.

Ben was pretty shocked to hear the Johnny’s Selected Seeds is buying some of their seeds from Semanis, which is owned by Monsanto.

There is a lot of fear about GMO contamination both legitimate and ridiculous specifically when the word Monsanto comes up.

The best solution is to save your own seeds but we are going to also discuss how to know who you can trust when buying seeds and times where you simply do not have to worry about GMO at all.

Join me today to hear about…

  • What is “the safe seed pledge” and why should you care
  • Why we need to be saving seeds in the first place
  • Breeding improvements vs. hybrids vs. GMO (all three are different)
  • Exchanging seeds – a great form of barter
  • The easy plants to save seed from – beans, lettuce, peppers, tomatoes
  • Separation rules – why they exist and not stressing them
  • Staggering pollination times to create effective separation
  • Herbs and unusual plants are often easy to save for and over looked
  • Storing your seeds once they are harvested (is cold storage a good idea)
  • How to clean your seeds, what you need, what you don’t need
  • Growing your own hybrids – hybrids are not always bad
  • How to hand pollinate and ensure purity with squashes and melons, etc
  • Saving root crops like garlic, potatoes, sweet potatoes for replanting
  • The rewards of regionally adapted plants
  • Breeding for any and all traits, it really isn’t hard

Additional 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 and you might hear yourself on the air.

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Indoor Aquaponics Set Up – Episode Eight

Posted on December 29, 2017 by Modern Survival| 5 Comments

Today’s episode covers a few updates like progress on microgreens, lowering the grow lights a bit and moving fish indoors. Mostly though it is a Q&A edition.

I answer the following questions today…

  • How is the height set by the bell siphon, does anything change when you add media?
  • What is my water height vs. my media height in my systems?
  • How is the smell of and indoors system?
  • What is the cost of the system in this series?
  • How do you ballance fish vs. vegetation?
  • How small can you go with ebb and flow?
  • How do you cycle a system?
  • What pump am I using and what would I recommend?
  • Choosing a variety of fish?
  • Do you need a swil filter/solid seperator?

Pump I think is in my current temporary system. https://www.lowes.com/pd/smartpond-560-Gph-Submersible-Pond-Pump/3510010

Pump I would use for this sytem if you wanted two pumps http://amzn.to/2E5NIzv

If you wanted one pump and lots of room to expand I would go with this pump, I have this running in one of my systems, I love this pump. http://amzn.to/2CiOI2z

Dirty water pump I use in larger systems, warning this must go in a bucket or exclusion bag or you will chop up fish with it. http://amzn.to/2llHvXu

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Episode-61- TSP Rewind – Permaculture Misconception vs. Reality

Posted on December 27, 2017 by Modern Survival| 1 Comment
Episode-61- TSP Rewind – Permaculture Misconception vs. Reality Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

rewindToday is an episode of TSP Rewind, commercial free versions of past podcast episodes.

Today’s episode was originally, Episode-802- Permaculture Misconception vs. Reality and was first published on Dec. 13th 2011.

 

The following are the original show notes from that episode.

The Forest is the Teacher, Not the End Goal

The Forest is the Teacher, Not the End Goal – Photo Credit to Axel-D via Flickr

I keep quite a few things set up on Google New Alerts.  That is where you run a search for a term on Google News and ask them to send you an email when ever a given word or phrase pops up in the news.  So as you might imagine I do this for terms like “pandemic”, “economic collapse”, “natural disaster” and many others related to the preparedness industry.

I also have terms set up that are more on subjects connected to basic self sufficiency and homesteading.   As you might imagine I include the term “permacuture”.  The other day that alert sent me a link to an article called, “Traditional Farming in the Rain Forest”, it led to an article that was a scathing retort on permaculture calling it basically useless.

The author gets almost every single part wrong.  It wasn’t that we disagree mind you it was that his claims and assertions were simply 100% inaccurate.  Despite this it  has helped me to better understand many of the objections I hear about permaculture.  Today I plan to discuss them and try to answer some of these objections, hopefully with a now better understanding of what the objection is really all about.

Join me today as I discuss…

  • 1 Prime Directive + 3 Ethics = Permaculture
  • Common Objections to Permaculture (none of which are based on reality)
    • The Rain Forest can’t feed as many people per acre as a farm
    • If we don’t do anything and let nature take its course we will starve
    • We need annual crops too not just perennials
    • Permaculture only produces weird things no one eats
    • Permaculture is limited to forest gardening
    • All permaculture amounts to is good organic gardening
    • Permaculture is all about growing food and plants
    • We can’t have productivity with out fertilizer and irrigation
    • We have to till soil to plant modern crop

Resources for Today’s Show…

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Episode-60- TSP Rewind – Building Your Own Long Term Rations

Posted on December 26, 2017 by Modern Survival| 1 Comment
Episode-60- TSP Rewind – Building Your Own Long Term Rations Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

rewindToday is an episode of TSP Rewind, commercial free versions of past podcast episodes.

Today’s episode was originally, Episode-561- Building Your Own Long Term Rations and was first published on Dec. 1st 2010.

 

The following are the original show notes from that episode.

Last week a listener asked about question about building your own meals for a bug out bag or for back packing etc.  As it was a feed back show I gave the 5 minute answer to the question.  Today we dig deeper, I will give you some methods of creating long term storeable but ready to cook rations to supplement products like Mountain House, etc.  These recipes are more about building bases first and then customizing them to taste.

Join me today to learn…

  • Why create your own rations
    • You know what goes in them
    • Utilize your gardens production
    • Easily scale them up and down (home and away)
    • Save money
    • One day it may be the only choice
  • Recipes
    • The vegetable soup base
    • The chili base
    • The potato/chowder base
  • Tips and Tricks
    • Why you should carry rice/beans separately
    • Dehydrated beans and lentils are your friends
    • Small packets for seasonings and certain items
    • Vac sealers are great but not the only choice
  • Getting meat into the picture
    • Hunt/Trap
    • Canned Meats
    • Dehydrated Meats (biltong and jerkey)
    • Freeze Dried (repackaged)
    • TVP – When all else fails
  • Fruits and Nuts and other Stuffs
    • Dried berries, raisins etc. add flavor sweetness
    • Flour is versatile and lasts a long time vac sealed
    • Sardines and other canned fish (shrimp/clam chowder)
    • Pastas – (think mini and cut spaghetti)

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 and you might hear yourself on the air.

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Episode-59- TSP Rewind – The Christmas Special 2017

Posted on December 22, 2017 by Modern Survival| 2 Comments
Episode-59- TSP Rewind - The Christmas Special 2017 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Most of today’s show is a recreation of 2008’s Christmas special. Today we pause and take a moment to reflect on Christmas and how it has become the Holiday we celebrate today. Many American’s have no idea just how Christmas became unique here in America, the role it played in bringing our nation together after two wars of independence and the civil war.

Christmas is special and a time to pause and reflect. Christmas is indeed a special time of year, today I will cover many aspects of it that may make this Christmas just a bit more special. There is also a full text transcription on of the non commercial portion of today’s show in the show notes below.

Tune in today to hear about…

  • Christmas was banned in England at one time and even parts of America
  • Early Americans didn’t really celebrate Christmas, (congress was in session on Dec 25th, 1789)
  • In the early 1800s Christmas was a rowdy holiday spurred by class conflict, turmoil and unemployment
  • In 1819, best-selling author Washington Irving wrote The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon bringing us many “ancient customs”, he simply invented
  • Leading up to the Civil War, Christmas was a “southern holiday” and Thanksgiving a “northern holiday”
  • How Christmas and Thanksgiving together helped to heal a young America
  • Today is a time to pause, reflect and just be, prepping, planning and stress will all wait patiently for you
  • Different ending music for today’s show! The most beautiful version of Oh Holly Night I have ever heard, just pause, listen and realize what really matters while it plays.

Resources for today’s show…

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Episode-2136- Expert Council Q&A for 12-21-17

Posted on December 21, 2017 by Modern Survival| 9 Comments
Episode-2136- Expert Council Q&A for 12-15-17 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 the expert council answers questions on back up heating, cooking grass fed beef, cookware, the carnivore diet 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

  • Back up heating – Steven Harris
  • Cooking grass fed beef – Keith Snow
  • Working with copper cookware – Keith Snow
  • The carnivore diet – Gary Collins
  • What the hell is up with the drop in bitcoin – Jack
  • The advantages of flow though wicking beds – Jack
  • Thank you for another great year – 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.

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VISE-GRIP Long Nose Pliers – Item of the Day

Posted on December 21, 2017 by Modern Survival| Comments Off on VISE-GRIP Long Nose Pliers – Item of the Day

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 VISE-GRIP Long Nose Pliers, specifically the 6 inch size.  They are also available in 4 inch and 9 inch sizes and all are useful.  So what makes this little tool so awesome other than every teen with an old car in the 70s and 80s likely locked one onto a window roller when a handle broke in our cars.

Mmmm, that’s right young-lings, manually roll up windows we once did, electric windows, not everyone had at one time. (okay if you didn’t read that in a Yoda voice what is wrong with you?)

Anyway I have recently found these to be one of the most useful tools in the aquaponics hobby world, because they fit inside media excluders and can be used to remove stand up pipes when frankly there is just no other way to get them out.  Thing is that is the beauty of them in general, the ability to get them into a tight space, clamp on and gain leverage you’d otherwise never obtain.  They also include a wire cutting feature which is nice as well.

These are also great for pinching off leaking lines and many other needs.  I really like the 6 inch size because they are large enough to give good leverage but small enough to get into really tight spaces.  I really consider them at times like having a third hand able to hold something you’d otherwise not have the ability to deal with alone.  Personally I own all three sizes and they are a great addition to any shop.  If you don’t have any and just want to pick up one, I would start out with the six inch size as they offer the most utility.

At only 9.38 a set they won’t set you back much either.  Now if you just want an outstanding set of VISE GRIP Tools that will do almost anything you will ever need check out this 10 Piece Set which includes the 6 and 9 Inch long nose versions and 8 other really great tools.

As to the brand I go with Irwin because they are the original VISE GRIP tool manufacturer.  They are damn solid tools.

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

 

 

 

 

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Indoor Aquaponics Set Up – Episode Five

Posted on December 21, 2017 by Modern Survival| 1 Comment

Follow this entire project on this playlist http://bit.ly/indooraqua

Here are the vise grips I show in this video http://amzn.to/2kTWKqA

We cover a lot of stuff on wicking beds today, show how to change water depth in them easy, etc. We also discuss “celery disease”!

 

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Episode-2135- Trapping for Fur and Meat with Aaron Dorr

Posted on December 20, 2017 by Modern Survival| 9 Comments
Episode-2135- Trapping for Fur and Meat with Aaron Dorr Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Aaron Dorr is a Michigan born native. Growing up in rural northern Michigan has its advantages for a young boy and he spent most of his youth in the woods hunting and otherwise learning about the great outdoors.

At 17 he enlisted in the USMC reserve and after his initial year of training returned home to serve out his contract with 6th ESB, start a family, and earn his degree from Northwood University.

In recent years his gravitation toward the outdoors has only increased as he has discovered his new addiction to trapping.

In June of 2017 he launched Bandit’s Outdoor Supply LLC,  a small start up with a mission to get you into the woods, swamps, and marshes of this great country.  He joins us today to discuss trapping as a skill set, a hobby, a source of income and a source of meat.

Join Us Today as We Discuss…

  • Legal forms of trapping legal
  • Is trapping humane
  • Why trap and how does it fit into a lifestyle of preparedness
  • Once you harvest an animal what do you do with it
  • Is it safe to eat trapped game
  • What is your preferred target species for meat and why
  • Where should someone start looking for recipes
  • Who buys fur and where can it be sold
  • What advice would you have for someone who wants to get started

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.

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