Snaring is More Productive Than Hunting
I've always thought that snaring is something that you do after you run out of bullets and can't hunt anymore. But recently I read the Grid Down Reality Bites series of books by Bruce "Buckshot" Hemming and Sara Freeman and I realized I was wrong. I enjoy hunting. These days it's mainly a productive form of bonding and recreation with family and friends, since most of our meat is raised, slaughtered, butchered, and packaged neatly for our selection at the local butcher, or grocery store. But if we someday find ourselves in a TEOTWAWKI situation where the supply chain is [...]
Something’s Brewin’ – How to make Hard Cider
Fall means many things in Vermont; from the amazingly beautiful foliage, to Harvest and Hunter moons lighting up the night, to farm stands stacked with pumpkins and winter squash, to crisp evenings around the fire pit. One of my favorite parts of Fall in Vermont is Apple Season, because along with Apple Season comes the cider pressing. There is nothing quite like freshly pressed apple cider. If you’re lucky enough to live in an area where fresh-pressed cider is available, seriously think about making hard cider. But even if you don't have orchards nearby, there are options to brew your own hard [...]
Lessons Learned from One Second After
One Second After by William R. Forstchen is a really scary book. Not scary like a Stephen King book, but more like a wake up call to how fragile the world we live in is. This is the book that prompted my first post, and really pushed me to start thinking of myself as a prepper or a survivalist. If you stay dependent on today's way of life, you will die quickly when it is all taken away from you. This post is a review of One Second After and assumes you have read the book. If you haven't already [...]
Five Finger Death Punch – Support Veterans
Here at Surviving Prepper we do not do religion or political posts. As tempting as it is to slam whatever silly politician is currently in the news for doing something stupid, or to bash someone's view of how their god is better than yours, we just don't do it. But we do support veterans. If you live in the United States of America, you enjoy your freedom and your chosen way of life because of the dedication and sacrifice of our veterans, whose blood, sweat, and tears was spilt in fighting for our liberty. Here at Surviving Prepper we support [...]
Food Preservation – Preserving Your Harvest
It’s that time of year in Vermont... apple season. We live near several family owned orchards that have a plethora of apple options – pre-picked, pick your own, utility apples, fresh pressed cider, and mouth-watering apple cider donuts. It’s also the season for some wonderful wild mushrooms such as Black Trumpets – a relative of chanterelles. Of course, it’s time for my herb garden to end the season – if I actually plant an herb garden. Obviously I can’t keep all of this bounty in its current form for the winter, so now I’m in the process of preserving what [...]
Extreme Couponing can be a Valuable Prepper Skill
I know what your thinking! Preppers already have a bad rep in today's society. Don't you dare try to group us with those crazy coupon ladies. But hear me out. Let's think about how extreme couponing can really benefit your budget and your prepper pantry. Maybe you will change your perception of it. Imagine this little story: On my way home I often stop by the grocery store to pick up a few items. Now I live in a suburban area of a very large city. So stopping by the store around the rush hour time frame is often just [...]
Bug Out Bag Essentials – Most Important Items You Should Carry
When thinking about putting together a bug out bag, it's easy to over pack. One item leads to another, and before you know it you're carrying 80 pounds on your back, at a time when you need to be moving swiftly, and easily. Start with the basics: water, shelter, and food. Regardless of how far you have to walk, or what the kind of SHTF event has occurred, your bug out bag must contain items that address each of these three basics. You could carry more with you, but these are the bare minimum items that you SHOULD carry with [...]
Vermiculture – Fish Candy and Garden Gold
My pappaw used to make me bait my own hook when we went fishing. That was the rule. His pond, his poles, his fish. If I was old enough to go fishin', then I was old enough to bait my own hook. And I dreaded it. The baiting. I am not being silly, or sarcastic, or overdramatic when I tell you that I actually heard them scream every time I threaded one onto my hook. Worms. They make almost-ultrasonic shrieking sounds as they squirm, and dodge, and serpentine away from the stabby point of the hook. Cross my heart and [...]