In this episode from 2011 I was joined by Holly Hirshberg founder of DinnerGarden.org to discuss sustainable gardening and the goal of planting one garden for every 6 families in America.
The show notes for the original episode with all relevant resources can be found here.
Welcome to Friday Flashbacks, after 16 years and hundreds of interview shows we decided to run them as flash backs every Friday, beginning with the oldest of them going forward.There is a tremendous library of wisdom in all the great interviews we have done over the years.
So sit back and enjoy, whether this is your first or second time around with today’s episode I am sure you will enjoy today’s episode and learn a lot from it.
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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Remember in addition to discounts to over 80 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.
Today on The Survival Podcast the expert council answers your questions on politics, technology, AI, thermal optics, fitness, cyber security, back up power, Star Link, alcohol infusions, self defense and more.
Make sure if you submit content for an expert council show you do the following….
Email it to me at jack @ thesurvivalpodcast.com
Put TSPC Expert in the subject line
Ask you question and state the expert you have the question for in one coherent sentence
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 to Discuss…
Democracy in and of itself does not equal freedom – Chris Rossini & Dr. Paul
Running FreeGPT on Start9 and submitting apps to the Start9 market place – Matt Hill
Choosing a thermal optics for predator hunting – Michael Milito
Exercising today to avoid injuries as we age – Andy McCann – 32 At Home Workouts
Preventing and detecting hacks on your bitcoin wallet or computer – Jesse Markowitz
Back up power for mobile StarLink applications – Shawn Mills
Making blackberry infused vodka – Ken Daniels
Self defense for a single woman, why I don’t recommend a knife for this and more – Jack `
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
Want all the Early TSP Episodes?
Remember in addition to discounts to over 80 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.
We are joined in this episode by Moritz Kaminski of Get Alby to discuss how Alby empowers freedom technology as a lightning wallet and more. Allowing you to manage applications, interact with Nostr technology, take full custody of your LN bitcoin and a ton more.
Moritz Kaminski is the co-founder of Alby, where he leads community and business development alongside a talented team. Before Alby, he held key roles as an investment manager at various venture capital funds, focusing on early-stage software investments.
His notable experience includes working at Fulgur Ventures, a fund dedicated to Bitcoin and Lightning startups. Moritz holds a master’s degree in Finance and Business Administration, which complements his extensive experience in venture capital and entrepreneurship.
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
Want all the Early TSP Episodes?
Remember in addition to discounts to over 80 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.
We talk a lot about what I call “lifestyle design” around here. When people hear that term they get the general idea, because the words are common.
Lifestyle – The way in which a person lives. ~
Design – Purpose, planning, intention and thought behind an action.
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So lifestyle design means to put purpose, planning, intention and thought into how you live your life. So yep people generally get the basic concept, what people usually struggle with though is designing a lifestyle for today that is resilient for tomorrow.
I think we have all had those moments, we are happy, really happy with our life as it is, then one or two things change and we are off the rails. Sometimes these are external factors like a job loss. Other times they are internal factors sticking with employment perhaps we realize we hate our jobs but hey it pays the bills.
Those are only two examples, and no one can plan for everything but today things are even more complicated. We all know the next few decades will have more flux in them than anything man kind has yet to experience. AI and automation will replace thousands of jobs, economic reality will be hitting hard for many governments and technology gaps will make finding jobs harder than ever.
Join Me Today to Discuss How to Plan For an Uncertain Future
Major shifts are coming in
Education
Technology
Manufacturing
Transportation
Everything
What has always worked will still likely work
Entrepreneurship
Adaptability and Flexibility
Hunting/Gathering/Growing
A solid conservative approach to risk balance
Saving
The basics of lifestyle design
Define the goals
Define the steps to get there honestly with yourself
Prioritize the steps
Begin taking action
If it is that simple, why don’t more people do it
It requires sacrifice
It requires honest with yourself
It requires taking responsibility for where you are
`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
Want all the Early TSP Episodes?
Remember in addition to discounts to over 80 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.
Special Note – These are deeply discounted and on sale again. One of the best selling items of all time on TspAz and fall gardening is on the way fast. These are the easy button for expanding or establishing new gardens.
Today’s Item of the day is Galvanized Raised Garden Beds by Vevor. There are many options here but the two I feel TSP’rs will be most interested in are standard 4×8 dimensions at two different depths…
Today we have a brand new type of item of the day. Up until now all Item of the Day reviews have been for items you can get on Amazon. Recently Vevor reached out to me about working with them and we came to an agreement. I will be receiving some free products in this agreement for review for disclosure I will tell you when ever that is the case. It is the case here but this item is so great I also bought one myself because I want two for my coming project.
Here is the best part, this product is awesome and I am going to save you a lot of money on it. Retail on this product is 140 bucks, but if you use my links you can get it for a LOT LESS. Just by registering as a customer with Vevor through my link before you buy and your cost will go down to only 99.99 then at check out just enter code VVPROMO for an additional 5% off.
Now let me tell you about this product and why I love it. First I love raised beds for gardening and we all know why. You get space to build new perfect soil and things like ducks and dogs tend to stay out of beds at least 20 inches high and these are just a hair under 2 feet high.
Next last year I sold a metric ton of this product by Frezone. They are awesome and were costing you guys between 120 – 160 plus dollars a pop. Here we have what I consider a better product for less money. Why do I say it is better?
Painted – mostly aesthetics but they do look great
Rectangle vs. Oval – simply put this gives you more total square feet to plant
Horizontal Reenforcement – There are six reenforcing straps that prevent bulging
Heavy Steel – Most beds of this type are made with .01 thick steel, these are made with .04 thick steel
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Now in general since this form of garden bed showed up, all steel, shipped in panels so they can ship cost effectively I have been all in on them. You are talking a garden bed that will stand up to the test of time better than anything built from pressure treated lumber. And let’s look at the cost of building a 4′ wide x 8′ long x 2′ deep bed with lumber that will rot in time to one of these.
For each bed you would require…
16 2x6x8 pressure treated boards (at my local Lowes that is 120 dollars)
A box of good stainless or deck screws about 12 bucks
Likely some coroner reenforcing lumber we can call it 10 bucks
`
All in building a 2 foot high bed with 4×8 dimensions with lumber at todays prices is about 140 ish bucks or for just under a hundred bucks, a box will show up at your house with every thing you need, bolt it all together and fill it up and just start growing.
And folks NOW is the time, spring is springing as we speak. You know those beds you were going to build but didn’t this winter, order today and by the weekend you can be assembling all the beds you want for the coming season. And the best part is these beds will LAST. I am not going to say forever but certainly 3-5X longer than a wood based bed that costs about 40% more to build along with a trip to box store hell on your weekend.
Yea look at it that way, you want to build your beds next weekend right? So you can get up early, go to the box store, blow 1-2 hours of your time, come home, then get to work. Or you can assemble one of these in about 30 minutes with simple hand tools while spending less money and getting a better product.
Remember you can get this deal in two different sizes depending on the depth you want. I went with 2 foot deep beds but they are pretty massive. I do this because it is a nice working height and because it keeps the ducks out of my gardens. The tradeoff is fill volume, a 4x8x2 box will hold just about 1 cubic yard. If you don’t want the higher working height or are not worried about animals the 1 foot tall option may be bette for you. Again the options are…
4Wx8Lx1D 65.99 less 5% with my special code VVPROMO
4Wx8Lx2D 99.99 super deal and you still get 5% more off with code VVPROMO
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So get registered as a Vevor Customer today and get this great deal and just know I will be bringing you a ton more or personally selected awesome products from Vevor as we move forward. But there is a reason I am leading off with these awesome garden beds, now is the time and this is one of the best deals I could find for you on the Vevor website.
Video Review of These Awesome Beds
Two questions were common when this video was released. They were about the supports and their location. To that one there are a total of 6, only two are installed here as we are going to reconfigure the beds as described. `
Next was is the top of the bed sharp? No it is rolled but there are edges on the corners so right where they panels connect you have some potential for scratches. Vevor does provide a top cover of thin material to cap the box with. We didn’t use it and have no plans to, but you may want to or to do something with the sharp corners.
P.S. – With this new partnership I will be expanding TspAz.com to include products from both Amazon and Vevor and will continue to recommend the best options regardless of source. As always anything I would not spend my own money on, I will never recommend to you. I will always continue to disclose any products I am given as samples, etc. Integrity is why you know you can trust my recommendations and that will never change.
* Note – This Item is available on Amazon but you will pay about 20 dollars more for it if you order it there. Still I wanted you to know about this in case you simply prefer to buy from that channel.
If you’re serious about building a better life if times get tough—or even if they don’t—the Self-Reliance Festival, October 5-6, 2024, in Camden, Tennessee, should be on your radar. Nicole Sauce and John Willis do a great job gathering fantastic speakers and organizing interesting demonstrations, but the best part of the festival is that you leave with tangible steps to improve your life.
The coming decade is likely to bring significant challenge making it essential to increase your resilience. Developing homesteading and preparedness skills, along with building your community and wealth, is key to successfully navigating what lies ahead.
This is why I’ve invested my time in attending so many Self-Reliance Festivals since Nicole and John launched the concept— to help them reach as many people as possible. This event is more than just a gathering; it’s an opportunity to immerse yourself in a community that shares your commitment to living independently and sustainably. I hope to see you in Camden on October 5-6.
Workshops and demonstrations will cover topics from growing food and living off-grid to common-sense preparedness and self-defense. There will even be a demonstration on forging with fire and foraging for food!
It’s not just about listening—this event is hands-on. There will be demonstrations on essential skills like animal processing, biochar production, and even how to train defense dogs. If you’re bringing your family, the “Self-Reliance Kids” program offers a fun and educational way for children to learn, with activities like cooking without electricity. `
Arrive Early for In-Depth Learning If you’re looking to dive deeper, the pre-event workshops are worth checking out:
SRF Bootcamp: This immersive workshop takes participants on a journey from processing an animal to cooking it over fire, crafting salves, growing food, and more, providing hands-on experience in essential homesteading and survival skills.
Two Self-Defense Options: Learn practical self-defense techniques, including escapeology and de-escalation, to better protect yourself and your loved ones in challenging situations.
Advanced Wound Closures: Gain critical knowledge in managing severe injuries with advanced wound closure methods, equipping you to handle emergencies effectively. `
Ticket Options
The festival offers several ticket options. You can choose a general admission pass, which grants you access to all the sessions and demos over the weekend and includes tent camping on-site. Families can take advantage of special ticket rates, making it easier to bring the kids along.
But the best way to experience the Self-Reliance Festival is with the VIP pass. This includes a special farm-to-table dinner and access to the green room, housed in John Willis’s museum. The conversations that happen there are epic.
General admission prices are only $75 right now, but Nicole let me know they will go up to $95 after September 1st. `
I have been saying recently that we do appear to be in a 4th turning, perhaps even a shake up taking us more into a 5th turning as the saeculum seems to be lengthening. One way or another though there is a massive shift happening. These shifts are wonderful, frightening, awful and unavoidable all at the same time.
Today we discuss the fallout from the founder of Telegram being arrested, RFK Jr’s alliance with Trump, a federal Judge says machine guns are legal and a ton more.
Join Me to Discuss…
RFK has joined forces with Trump, what does this signal beyond election politics
The founder of Telegram has been arrested for “failure to moderate”, the time has come to take this seriously – link
New TSPC Group on OzChat a Nostr Technology scan this QR code you will need the app installed for it to work
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
Want all the Early TSP Episodes?
Remember in addition to discounts to over 80 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.
Special Note – The Black Stainless model is on sale for only 87 bucks today which is a great value.
Every day, I bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use, or that has been purchased by many members of the audience and which I have researched enough to recommend.
Today’s TSP Amazon Item of the day is the Frigidaire Portable Ice Maker. This compact device offers incredible value, capable of producing up to 26 pounds of ice daily. From the moment you fill it, you can expect the first drop of ice (on the large setting) in about 12-13 minutes. Once the cycle begins, my testing shows that you’ll receive another drop approximately every 9 minutes and 20 seconds, like clockwork.
This serves both as a lifestyle convenience item and a prepper tool. For everyday use, consider this: priced around 100 dollars, if you’re currently buying bagged ice at roughly 2 dollars a bag, after 50 bags, this machine essentially pays for itself. If you consume a lot of ice, your refrigerator’s ice maker might not keep up. With this device, you can always have ice available. Check out the video below to understand its operation, as there are some limitations to be aware of.
From a prepper’s perspective, it’s outstanding. If you have extra freezer space, fill the gaps with bags of ice. As you use them, simply replace them. It’s quick, simple, and cost-effective. If there’s a power outage, you’ll have a significant ice reserve. With any backup power source, you can also continue ice production.
Here’s the kicker: it’s energy-efficient, much more so than a fridge/freezer combo. My tests showed an initial surge of about 430 watts, but during cycles, it fluctuates between a mere 4 watts to about 110-120 watts. This means you can easily run it off a modest 800-watt power inverter connected to your car battery while idling.
Most of you know I advocate for having a generator, ideally two (since “2 is 1 & 1 is none”) for backup power. With one, you can power this alongside your other essentials, and any decent generator will hardly notice the load. This allows you to keep many items cold, and you might even assist your neighbors.
I’m so fond of this product that I’m contemplating purchasing a second one. While I don’t need two for daily use, having one in the workshop would be a game-changer, reducing the number of trips staff make for “ice runs”. Plus, if one fails, the backup is ready to go.
The best part? It’s portable and lightweight, making it convenient for occasional users to store away. You might want to switch it off at night (see the video for reasons). If you’ve visited my place, you’d know about my impressive outdoor kitchen and its large ice maker. So, why this one? The large one malfunctioned, freezing up with unresolved issues. Replacing it was prohibitively expensive, reminiscent of a “I’m coming, Ethel” heart attack moment from the “Sanford and Son” show.
I secured mine for a mere 88 dollars. I could purchase ten of these, and if each lasts four years, I might outlive their combined lifespan, reaching 91 years old. Remember my frequent discussions about the price-to-value ratio? That’s how I made this decision. The outdoor unit lasted about 3 years before problems arose. A combination of Texas summers and hard water eventually did it in. I won’t repeat that mistake, especially at a price higher than my first car!
So, check out the Frigidaire Portable Ice Maker today. I believe you’ll appreciate its presence in your home. And remember, it’s portable! Whether you’re planning a fishing weekend at an Air BnB or a hunting trip with friends, just throw it in your truck, plug it in, and watch the ice accumulate.
For a detailed overview of its functionality, power consumption, and limitations, refer to the video below.
* Remember you can always find all of our reviews at TspAz.com
P.S. – There were some comments from people who owned and powered used (non stop daily use) these types of ice makers for 3 or more years before they slowed down and or died. Any electronic device has something called “MTBF” or mean time between failures. That said the key to long life for an ice machine is cleaning.
So it made me realize I should have included a link to this stuff in the original review. Use it about every 60 days as directed and your machine will make it to old age vs. middle aged. Also things like only running it when you need it, turning it off at night as per the video will drastically lengthen life.
Check Out the Video to See How it Works, Its Limits and Power Demands
In this episode from 2011 I was joined by Steven Harris to discuss home energy production with biogas, solar, wind, wood gassification & all methods of alternative energy generation.
The show notes for the original episode with all relevant resources can be found here.
Welcome to Friday Flashbacks, after 16 years and hundreds of interview shows we decided to run them as flash backs every Friday, beginning with the oldest of them going forward.There is a tremendous library of wisdom in all the great interviews we have done over the years.
So sit back and enjoy, whether this is your first or second time around with today’s episode I am sure you will enjoy today’s episode and learn a lot from it.
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
Want all the Early TSP Episodes?
Remember in addition to discounts to over 80 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.
Today on The Survival Podcast the expert council answers your questions on price controls, hunting rifles, back up power, foraging, barrel aging spirits, fodder for pigs, taking meat camping without a cooler and more.
Make sure if you submit content for an expert council show you do the following….
Email it to me at jack @ thesurvivalpodcast.com
Put TSPC Expert in the subject line
Ask you question and state the expert you have the question for in one coherent sentence
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 to Discuss…
Kamala Harris is proposing empty shelves and shortages – Chris Rossini and Dr. Paul
Gearing up for hunting season with a new young hunter coming into the mix – Michael Milito
How to make your car into a battery bank system and not making bad solar decisions – Shawn Mills
Which trees present foraging opportunity for human consumption – Kerry Brown
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
Want all the Early TSP Episodes?
Remember in addition to discounts to over 80 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.
