PREPARE - July 2022

Encouraging, Empowering and Enriching Your Journey

Gardening Under Cover!

Fiction: "Resilience" Part 3

Elderberry Remedies Building a Wood Gas Generator!

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Things You likely FORGOT in a Bunker!

Foraging for Mushrooms plus Recipes!

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Table of Contents

06 Maximizing Your Chances for Survival

22 Gardening Under Cover!

05 Letter from PREPARE Staff 10 All About Arthritis and Natural Treatment

14 Elderberry Remedies

16 Building a Wood Gas Generator!

32 The Medicine Finally Worked!

Aloe Vera

29 Quick Guide to Prepare your Kids!

34 Foraging for Mushrooms plus Recipes

39 Resilience Part 3 44 Devotion: Considering Ants & Lilies

47 Our Contributors 4

Letter from PREPARE Magazine Editorial Staff The preparedness movement has taken on many forms over the years. The branches of this tree that covers the scope of preparedness spread far and wide. While not an exhaustive list, we have seen over the course of our staff's own journey people refer to themselves in the prepping arena as homesteaders, self-sufficient enthusiasts, preppers, minimalists, patriots, ex-patriots, off-gridders, and many other forms or terms are used.

With this issue of PREPARE Magazine we are happy to bring you more that speaks to that spirit of DIY! Of course, this is merely scratching at the surface, but we hope you will connect with the authors of these articles (and other PREPARE Magazine articles too of course) to join forces with others with that pioneer spirit that empowers the preparedness journey.

Speaking of being connected...

The approaches to preparedness are as varied as the forms. They can range from militant to passive, from lone wolf to community-driven, from purchasing massive supplies all at once to the slow build approach. But no matter the form or approach that fits any one of us, at any point along this journey, the truth is they all can overlap and interchange and still be in the family of preparedness.

Have you connected with us (and thus ALL our amazing authors) on Social Media yet?

Click each icon to connect!

One very strong vein that does appear to run through all forms and approaches to preparedness is that of DIY. “Do It Yourself.” We tend to have a knack for looking at how to do something rather than just going to get something. We may gather supplies, but we also seek the skills to use them or to be prepared if the supplies run out. The DIY attitude is not just a movement in the home decor and crafting fad, but it is a pioneer spirit that seems to be deep in the heart of preparedness in every form or approach.

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Maximizing Your Chances for Survival

By Johnny Jacks/ NewAmericaBooks.com Ask a room full of preppers about their strategy for surviving a state of absolute anarchy and you’ll hear several common themes emerge. Many preppers plan to isolate themselves deep in the mountains or a forest and live off the land. Some intend to bug-in at their urban or suburban neighborhood home and survive by scavenging and growing rooftop or backyard gardens. A solo prepper occasionally considers going mobile and attempting to survive the die-off in a boat or recreation vehicle. Others consider a prepper survival group, also known as a MAG, or mutual assistance group.

In my early days as a prepper and while doing extensive research while writing Absolute Anarchy and Islam Rising, I had trouble reconciling these theories with my proclivity for applying logic to analyze facts and plausible assumptions and arrive at credible conclusions. To make sense of it all, I evaluated the different survival options using my research combined with my life experiences as the son of a semiliterate self-reliant sharecropper, a fifteen-year Special Forces guerrilla warrior, and twenty-five years in significant positions in the national security and emergency preparedness arena. I also lived among peoples in Southeast Asia, Central and South America, Indonesia, and Africa who wake up every morning on the edge of survival.

Since no prepper can guarantee with certainty his or her survival under a state of absolute anarchy, the question is, how do we maximize our chances to live through the die-off and prosper long-term? The question begs analysis and cannot be answered with, “Well, this is what I think works best,” but requires logical reasoning and scrutiny of the facts to produce answers.

Preppers know the four primary survival considerations, shelter, water, food, and security. This article focuses on food. Except for the extremely arid portions of the Continental United States, water and shelter are readily available. My working premise is that a true prepper is capable of processing water to make it potable and has a bugout location shelter or can construct one to protect against the elements. That is, shelter (or shelter-making materials) and water are readily available, but food must be produced. Security is very important, but cannot be given a proper evaluation here and will remain the focus of a future article.

Everything a prepper does to get ready for the end of the world as we know it (TEOTWAWKI) applies to two major considerations: short-and long-term planning. Short-term planning includes those things required to survive the die-off, which will last for about 90 days after the collapse. Longterm planning includes food production and preservation without electricity, fuel, or lubricants for years to come, perhaps for the rest of your life. My hundreds of hours of discussions with preppers—individually and in groups— revealed that most think primarily of guns, ammo, bugout bags, get-home bags, rations, food preservation, and how to live in the woods but haven’t given sufficient thought to long-term food production.

This article shines light on the requirement to think longterm and be ready to produce food in the years after the collapse. It’s critical to maximizing your chances to survive.

Obviously, the key to survival is to make it out the other side of the die-off and have everything required to produce food long-term but without modern farm equipment.

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After writing Absolute Anarchy, making a few presentations to prepper groups, and answering questions during podcast interviews, the old gray matter began to formulate a set of logical analyses that, in my experience, eliminate the feasibility of all but one prepper survival strategy. I assert, as depicted in Islam Rising, that a group survival plan, with the right materials and equipment in a rural setting, maximizes the chances for short-and long-term survival far better than any other means. That’s not to imply that some won’t survive by other means, but group cooperation maximizes your chances of survival better than other courses of action.

Logical Analysis 1: James Woolsey, Former Director of the CIA (1993-1995), and Vincent Pry wrote in The Hill, on March 29, 2017, that as many as 90% of Americans—about 300,000,000 —would perish if North Korea launched an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack against America. It is reasonable to assume that any event resulting in the loss of the electric grid and fuel production and distribution will produce the same result as an EMP attack.

months following any event that triggers a state of absolute anarchy.

Logical Analysis 2: Too many preppers are not aware of the sizeable amount of equipment and supplies required to live long-term without electricity, fuel, and lubricants. Most will have insufficient resources to survive past the initial 90-day die-off. Their lack of food coupled with no open pollinated seeds and gardening hand tools threatens their ability to survive long enough to begin long-term food production.

After the die-off, gardening hand tools may be available for scavenging, but only if not already taken by those who are more prepared and have this insight.

Logical Conclusion 2: A second die-off will begin after about 90 days. Perhaps millions of less ready preppers will die in the second famine wave.

http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/defense/326094-hownorth-korea-could-kill-up-to-90-percent-of-americans-at-any The die-off will begin within a few weeks of the collapse and gain momentum about the second or third week. Without food, the human body goes into starvation mode after three days; most people die within three weeks. Millions will not make it that far. The very old, very young, those with weak immune systems, and those who contract diseases, especially from untreated water, will likely perish in less than three weeks. Exposure to extreme weather conditions will exacerbate the problem. http://www.medicaldaily.com/now-entering-starvationmode-what-happens-your-metabolic-processes-when-youstop-feeding-280666 Logical Conclusion 1: James Woolsey is correct and about 90% of America’s population will perish within the first few

Logical Analysis 3: Based on the time of year the collapse occurs, and which part of the United States the prepper bugs-out to, it could be almost three years before a sustainable food source is produced. Further, if the first growing season’s crop fails, another year’s worth of food and open pollinated seeds will be needed to stave off starvation.

If a prepper can secure breeding stock of fowl, rabbits, goats, livestock, or other protein sources, the meat produced would help to avoid starvation.

Logical Conclusion 3: Preppers must have enough food stored before the collapse to last through the die-off and into the food production of at least the first two growing seasons. That requires no less than a two-year food supply before the collapse occurs.

Logical Analysis 4: During the initial days following an economic, political, and societal collapse, over 325,000,000 people—approximate U.S. population today—will be searching for food to remain alive. Millions of desperately hungry people, many of them armed, will have the same idea as those preppers who plan to survive in the woods. For non7

preppers, it may be their only option. Enough of them will have the means to hunt wildlife to the point of near extinction within months. (City people own guns and hunt too.)

plow. A lifetime supply of gardening tools (hoes, rakes, shovels, spades, etc.) and preservation means (salt, canning supplies, etc.) will be needed. How much do you have? You can expect that farm animals will be slaughtered and eaten early in the collapse.

Logical Conclusion 4: Wildlife will be decimated and will not return to sufficient levels as a reliable food source for years after the collapse.

Logical Analysis 5: Most, if not all, of the engineers and technicians who have the expertise to restart oil refineries will succumb during the first die-off. Therefore, restarting oil refineries will be impossible in the short-term and very questionable in the long-term.

Logical Conclusion 5: Under a state of absolute anarchy, tractors cannot be used to produce food due to a lack of fuel, oil, and lubricants.

Note: There are two options to bypass the lack of refined oil.

1) All modern tractors operate on diesel fuel and can be converted to run on vegetable oil. Long-term, you must be able to produce and process a lot of grain to obtain the oil. 2) Older gasoline tractors (Ford built many thousands) can be converted to run on a gasifier. Eventually, it might be possible to produce steam driven tractors. That won’t help during the initial years when manpower must be used to turn soil, plant seeds, and harvest crops. If you want to have an operational tractor after the collapse, convert one now.

Logical Analysis 6: To grow a garden, the soil must be turned, the seeds planted, and the vegetables harvested and preserved. Since there will be no fuel for the tractors, raw muscle power is required to do the work. Don’t plan on mules or horses harnessed to plows. Technically, it would be possible to rig a plow, but most mules and horses will be easy to catch and turned into food early into the collapse.

Regardless, very few mules and horses are trained to pull a

Logical Conclusion 6: Vegetable production will be accomplished manually. Protein sources, cows, fowl, rabbits, goats, pigs, etc. require a healthy breeding stock protected from theft and predators. There are numerous ways to utilize rice and beans to provide protein. Do your research now.

Logical Analysis 7: Many preppers plan to go mobile or bugout on foot to the deep woods, isolate themselves from others, and live off the land. First, very few people today have the expertise to live off the land, especially for extended periods of time. Second, over time, millions of refugees will penetrate deeper into the wilderness. At some point, any prepper who bugged-out to the deep forest, mountainous or not, will be discovered. It may take several weeks or months, but it’s inevitable. Finally, it is not possible to prepare for or produce a long-term food supply while living in the woods. The wide variety and quantity of seeds and gardening tools required for sustained food production won’t fit in a backpack.

I’ve parachuted into remote locations in different parts of the world and lived for up to a month with what I could carry in my backpack. Wearing the same clothes and going without a shower for a month in freezing weather or running out of mosquito repellant in tropical climates has profound negative psychological effects. Break a leg and you’re on your own. If your experience in outdoor living is limited to short backpacking trips with plenty of food and no security worries, you need to rethink bugging-out to the woods.

Logical Conclusion 7: It is folly to attempt to survive solo or in a very small group under any circumstances. Going mobile or bugging-out to the woods—alone or with a small group— 8

greatly diminishes your chances to survive the die-off, regardless of how deep in the mountains or woods you travel. Of the few preppers who might be successful buggingout to the woods, almost all will be unsuccessful at producing food long-term and will end up in a second famine wave.

deductive reasoning of the facts, it is evident that, under a state of absolute anarchy, a prepper group with: 1. a two-year supply of long-term-storage food 2. a lifetime supply of gardening hand tools

Logical Analysis 8: Cities and suburbs have a finite amount of food. Once it’s gone, that’s it. No amount of looking in every dumpster or cupboard for a can of beans will produce results and no trucks will arrive to resupply food stocks. Depending on your geographical location, the number of acres of garden needed to sustain a single person for a year will vary. For example, North Dakota has a much shorter growing season than South Florida. Your three-step goal is to 1) eat during the growing season, 2) preserve enough food to eat between growing seasons, and 3) retrieve a sufficient quantity of seeds from each plant for the next growing season. That is not possible with rooftop or backyard gardens.

Logical Conclusion 8: To bug-in in an urban or suburban environment greatly diminishes a prepper’s chances to survive the die-off and produce food long-term. Through

3. a two-planting supply of open pollinated seeds 4. tilled land to produce large amounts of food, and 5. the means to preserve food have the maximum chance to survive and prosper long-term.

Spread the Word Please feel free to use this article for your next prepper group meet up as a discussion item. Naysayers will likely not budge from their contrary positions, and that’s okay. Others will say, “Hmmm. I never thought of that,” and take action to become better prepared to survive long-term. That’s a good thing.

Be prepared, not afraid.

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All About Arthritis and a few natural

treatment options.

BY JOE ALTON, MD The human body is a marvel of engineering. Its dexterity, strength, and stamina allow amazing feats of athleticism and, yes, survival in the worst adversity; but wear and tear takes its toll over time on just about everything with moving parts (even you). The resulting loss of work efficiency and mobility, bad enough in normal times, can decrease your chances to succeed after a major disaster.

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The moving parts in our skeletal frame are known as joints.

Each one has varying amounts of range of motion and strength. They are remarkably durable, but break down with time and strain. The longer lives of modern humans have, thus, caused a high prevalence of joint disease called “arthritis”.

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Age: Many types of arthritis are more common as people get older Sex: Women are more likely to get certain types, such as rheumatoid arthritis, while men are more prone to a form of arthritis known as “gout”.

Family history: Some types of arthritis seem to run in families.

Injuries: Increased strain can injure joints, which can eventually lead to arthritis. This is seen in athletes, but can occur from manual labor or an accident.

Obesity: Those who lead sedentary lifestyles and are obese suffer long-standing strain on the joints in the hips, knees, and back, which can lead to arthritis.

Symptoms of arthritis may include: It’s thought that 54 million Americans today suffer from some form of arthritis, and that the number will rise to 78 million by the year 2040. Although you might consider arthritis a disease of the elderly, two-thirds of the cases occur in pre-retirement age individuals.

• • • • •

Risk factors for arthritis include: • •

Pain Swelling Joint stiffness and decreased range of motion Reluctance to use the affected joint due to discomfort Accumulation of fluid or other material (like uric acid in gout) in the joint space Muscle weakness (with chronic arthritis) Fever (if caused by an infection)

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Types of Arthritis Osteoarthritis Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, especially in older individuals. It can affect just about any joint in the body. Hands, feet, back, hip, and knees are most commonly affected, but osteoarthritis can occur even in the spinal column.

Osteoarthritis is acquired by daily wear and tear on the joints, although it can also be a long term effect of a previous injury which accelerates degeneration. Obesity can increase stress on joints and lead to osteoarthritis, as well.

Warm compresses are useful to treat discomfort and stiffness. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen or aspirin are helpful, as is Capsaicin cream or ointment.

The worst cases may require oral or injectable steroids. Sometimes, a needle is placed to drain excess fluid from an affected joint to give relief. This is call “arthrocentesis”. This procedure may decrease pain, but could introduce infection into the joint if not performed with care.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

on both sides of the body. Women seem to be more susceptible than men.

Rheumatoid arthritis especially affects joints in the fingers and wrists, but is also common in knees and elbows. Over time, it can lead to severe deformities if not treated.

Rheumatoid arthritis occurs in younger populations, more than osteoarthritis, even striking children on occasion.

Other symptoms associated with rheumatoid arthritis that you might not see with degenerative osteoarthritis: •Dry mouth •Dryness, Itching or burning in the eyes •Insomnia •Strange sensations in the hands or feet •Nodules under the skin •Chest pain when taking a breath

At present, there is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis.

Treatments concentrate on easing the symptoms. Medical therapy includes strong anti-inflammatory medications such as oral steroids (example: Prednisone).

Another auto-immune disorder that can cause joint disease is known as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). Although usually diagnosed by blood testing, Lupus can be differentiated from rheumatoid arthritis due to its one-sided nature. You will also see patients with SLE experience hair loss and body rashes. Lupus is often treated with long-term oral steroids.

Even though rheumatoid arthritis cannot be cured, it is thought to be possible to prevent the condition from worsening. Weight loss is one way to improve symptoms and prevent progression. Physical therapy to strengthen muscles and joints is also thought to be helpful.

Bacterial Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common auto-immune disease in the world today. In RA, the body's immune system attacks its own tissues. The attack is not only directed at the joint but to other parts of the body. Unlike some other joint diseases, rheumatoid arthritis tends to affect the same joint

Bacterial arthritis (sometimes called “septic” arthritis) is often the result of some penetrating injury that allows organisms to invade the joint space. It can also occur from within, as when a blood infection (septicemia) or bone infection (osteomyelitis) has spread to a joint.

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Common skin bacteria, such as Streptococcus and Staphylococcus, are the usual suspects; certain sexually transmitted diseases, like gonorrhea can also be the cause, although viruses and even fungi may be involved.

Typical symptoms of a bacterial arthritis are the same as osteoarthritis, except that the patient may have a fever and may exhibit redness or warmth over the affected joint. In addition to treatment for pain, arthrocentesis (removal of fluid with a needle) and intravenous antibiotics in the Keflex (Fish-Flex) family (cephalosporins) or others may be helpful if the cause is bacterial.

Psoriatic Arthritis

the joint. Some people simply produce too much uric acid or don’t eliminate it well. Obesity is a major risk factor, as is diabetes. This illness occurs primarily in men; a history of certain types of kidney stones may be associated with episodes of gout.

The presentation of gout will appear as: •Inflammation in one or two joints. The big toe is the classic example, but knees and ankles may also be affected.

•Warm, red, painful joints. The pain is throbbing and often severe. Even laying a sheet over it may cause pain.

•Fever.

•Episodic repeat attacks (50% of cases).

After multiple episodes, permanent damage occurs and the joint loses its range of motion. Chronic sufferers may also develop lumps composed of uric acid crystals called “tophi”. Tophi are lumps below the skin, mostly around joints. They may drain chalky material from time to time.

Specialized prescription drugs are available for gout, such as Colchicine and Allopurinol. If you have a family member with gout, encourage them to stockpile extra medications; they won’t be found in your standard medic’s storage.

Natural Options For Arthritis

Psoriasis is a relatively common skin condition that causes the formation of multiple red, scaly patches. This leads to itching and may be considered by some unsightly, but 30 per cent of sufferers also develop inflammation of the joints known as “psoriatic arthritis”.

Psoriatic arthritis victims may be differentiated from degenerative arthritis by nail changes that look like fungal infections, redness in the eyes, excessive fatigue, and swollen fingers and toes (the areas most commonly affected). The condition is most commonly treated with NSAIDs like ibuprofen for pain, steroids, and anti-psoriasis pharmaceuticals. Early treatment may lead to less severe damage to joints.

Gout Gout is another condition that destroys joints over time.

Inflammation is caused by deposition of uric acid crystals in

•

Lifestyle and dietary changes may be helpful in improving the quality of life of individuals with arthritis.

Consider the following changes:

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Avoiding alcohol

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Reducing how many uric acid elevating foods you eat.

These include: Liver, red meat, herring, sardines, anchovies, kidney, beans, peas, mushrooms, asparagus, and cauliflower.

•

Avoiding fatty foods

•

Eating enough carbohydrates

Of course, long-term steroids are going to be scarce in a longterm survival setting, so you’ll have to get by with your supply of NSAIDs. There are, however, plenty of natural methods of dealing with joint pain. Many of these can come from plants you can grow or from simple therapies that just require heat, cold, or your hands.

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From an alternative standpoint, there are various treatments for joint pain caused by arthritis. Glucosamine supplements are popular. It should be noted that glucosamine sulfate preparations have more evidence for their effectiveness than glucosamine hydrochloride. Take 1,500 milligrams once a day on a regular basis.

Glucosamine, when paired with chondroitin sulfate 800-1,200 milligrams a day, has been shown to possibly slow progression of some arthritic conditions.

Two teaspoons of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar mixed with a teaspoon of honey twice a day is a time-honored treatment. Other oral supplements reported to be effective against joint pain are: •Turmeric powder •Soybean Oil •Avocado Oil •Rose hips •Fish Oil (no more than 3 grams per day) •Selenium •Bathua leaf juice •Alfalfa tea

For external use, warm and cold compresses are useful.

Warmth increases blood flow to the joint, while cold decreases inflammation and swelling. Other options include: •Capsaicin ointment or cream •Use Arnica essential oil on affected areas (good for muscle aches as well) •Apply warm vinegar to aching joints.

•Mix powdered sandalwood into a paste; it has a cooling effect when rubbed on a joint.

A number of other modalities may alleviate the pain of arthritis and improve range of motion. Acupuncture, massage therapy, and physical therapy may alleviate muscle spasms. Electricity delivered by a device known as a TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) unit may be helpful. Others suggest magnets applied to injured joint.

These are just a few of the many alternative remedies available. Do your own research and make your own conclusions.

Elder Remedies for Natural Cold and Flu Relief

By Cat Ellis/ HerbalPrepper.com

Elderflower Elderflower tea is helpful for coughs, colds, allergies, and respiratory complaints in general. The tea makes a fair expectorant and helps to induce sweating. This is especially helpful in cases of bronchitis and respiratory infections with a fever.

Elderflower is one remedy that I know my kids will take readily. They enjoy the honey-like flavor. Elder flower blends well with peppermint, another decongestant herb with a taste most kids enjoy.

Elderberry syrup is a popular herbal remedy for respiratory complaints, especially influenza. As we enter peak cold and flu season, elder remedies are an easy and tasty way to help the body heal itself.

The Elder Bush Elder, Sambucus nigra, is found everywhere in the eastern half of the United States, as well as the northwest coast.

Elder is also native throughout most of Europe, where elder has a long history of use for respiratory infections.

Elder is a deciduous bush, though sometimes referred to as a small tree. You can find elder easily in the spring and summer when its delicate flowers are in bloom. Elder flowers are tiny, white flowers clustered together. The flowers produce a pleasant tea reminiscent of honey.

Taste is a major factor when making herbal remedies for kids. Add some honey and lemon to the tea, and you have a cold and flu remedy any kid will happily take.

Make sure to leave plenty of flowers on the bush to get elderberries in the fall. I like to save the dried elderflowers to mix with my elderberries, as I find it makes a more effective remedy. If you only have the flowers or the berries on hand, don’t worry. Just use what you have. You can also find both elderflowers and elderberries online and at most herb shops.

I use elderflower and elderberry together to make tinctures, glycerites, elixirs, and syrups. I use the syrups to make homemade gummy candies and as a drizzle over homemade yogurt. An eyedropper of elder tincture in an ounce of apple juice has chased away many colds from our home.

Elderberries: Tradition Backed by Science

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Elderberries have become a popular remedy for the colds and the flu, and with good reason. There is a growing body of scientific evidence to support the long history of traditional use of elder to prevent respiratory infections, as well as shorten their duration and severity.

Elderberry Extract

•

Fresh ginger, a piece the size of your thumb, peeled and chopped,

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Cinnamon chips, ¼ cup (or 4-5 sticks, broken up)

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Cloves, 7-10

These get simmered in water for 20 minutes until the water has reduced by half. The plant material gets strained out, and to the remaining liquid, I add equal volume of honey. So, if I have 2 cups of tea, I’m adding 2 cups of honey.

There are so many easy ways to tweak this recipe to your needs. Sometimes, I also add wild cherry bark (for sore throats), star anise (origin of shikimic acid, the active ingredient in Tamiflu), or chaga (immune support).

Below is a video tutorial I made for my Herbal Skills Intensive course. This explains every aspect of how to make elderberry syrup. Enjoy!

Sambucol, a commercially prepared elderberry extract, was shown effective against 10 strains of the flu.1 The same study also demonstrated that Sambucol was effective at shortening the duration of the flu to 3 to 4 days. Compare this to Tamiflu, which shortens the duration of the flu by only 1 day.2 With the average flu lasting 1 to 2 weeks, I’d rather take the elderberry extract. Research has shown elder to be effective against multiple strains of both Influenza A and Influenza B.3 Elderberry was also shown to reduce colds and flu in air travelers.4

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https:// www.youtube.com/embed/jsrgCYZqGdg" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></ iframe>

You can make your own elderberry extracts at home. You can macerate your elderberries in vodka, brandy, or food-grade glycerin for six weeks, strain, and reserve the liquid. You can also infuse elderflowers and rose petals in honey for six weeks. It makes a lovely cold and cough remedy.

Elderberry Syrup The most popular elder remedy today is elderberry syrup. My syrup is usually made from: •

Elderberries, ¼ to ½ cup

•

Garlic cloves, as many as you can stand (I use around 5-6)

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Building a (Downdraft) Wood Gasifier

By Steven Honkus – OffGrid48°/ offgrid48.com If you have ever investigated or researched wood gasification you have seen that wood gas is a great resource that we can use to generate our own energy. Burning wood in a controlled, oxygen limited environment will yield synthetic gas (Syngas) that can be used much as the same as natural gas or propane. We can use this Syngas in heating applications and to run internal combustions engines in vehicles or standard generators to create electricity. Wood gasification has been known and used for about 200 years, yet today we still know very little about its use and benefits.

Wood gasification seems to be something that is ‘rediscovered’ in times of fuel shortages, natural disasters and other crisis, only to be forgotten when those crisis pass.

Today, there is a renewed interest and movement to rediscover wood gasification in an effort to become more independent and self-reliant in our lives.

Once you have seen the benefits of a wood gas generator and you decide that you would like to generate your own wood gas energy, the next step is to acquire or build one. In doing some basic research you will find there are very few

commercial manufacturers of wood gas generators and those that are available are often extremely expensive costing upwards of $15,000-$25,000 USD. This cost level puts them out of reach for most typical residential owners.

The next and most cost-effective option is to build one yourself or have one built for you which will cost in the $2,000-$5,000 USD range. While this article is not a complete step-by-step discussion on the build process, it will detail some resources, build considerations and do’s and don’ts that will make your gasifier build successful and cost effective.

First Decision: Is this build a production unit or a science project?

Once you have made the decision to build (or have built) your own wood gas generator, the first and most important decision is whether this is going to be a ‘production’ unit, something you will use as a an appliance just as you would you wood stove or generator, or is this a ‘science project’,

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where you are looking for the quickest, cheapest route to create gas and something educational but not something that is robust, durable or capable of being used as a dependable appliance.

Take some time in this consideration, as you will not be able to make changes or modify this choice later. An example of why this decision is important is the type of wood gas that will be produced by your gasifier. High grade or fuel grade wood gas requires extremely high temperatures and multi-stage filtering to ensure there are no tars or other contaminants in the gas that would hurt or destroy an engine. Heating grade gas is made at much lower temperatures and contains tars and contaminants that are less important when burning the gas in a heating application. High grade syngas can be used in either an engine or heating application, while heating grade gas can only be used for heating and not used in an engine. Reviewing the many YouTube videos will show many examples of ‘science project’ wood gas generators, many of which will show them running an engine. What these videos don’t show is that the heating grade wood gas generators by these cheap builds likely destroyed the engine after a short period of time. If you want a reliable, production level unit that provides consistent, high quality wood gas, then you need to steer clear of these science project builds. In the long run it will save you time, frustration and money.

Second Decision: What type of gasifier and what design?

There are several different types of Wood Gas generator designs: updraft, downdraft, or Fluidized bed. This article focuses on the downdraft design. A critical reference and suggested starting point for anyone interested in wood gasification or a wood gas generator build is a 1989 FEMA document called “Construction of a simplified Wood Gas Generator” by H. Lafontaine.

A new reprint of this document is available online in book form or you can download a free PDF version from the following link: (http://www.driveonwood.com/static/media/uploads/pdf/ fema_plans.pdf ) This is considered to be one of the most widely referenced documents on a simple but functional wood gas generator design that many of the today’s commercial and available plans are based. It is also a great general reference for wood gasification in general. You can choose to build directly from the plans provided in this document, create your own design, or choose one of many free or cost based plans available on the market.

Many of the pictures, diagrams and build references provided in this article are referenced from a proven design by industry leader, Ben Peterson who is the author of the “Wood Gasifier Builder’s Bible”, a very detailed, step-by-step book detailing the build process. You can find Ben’s book and other build references online at the following link: (http://www.woodgasifierplans.com/ ) Some design considerations you should consider when choosing a build design: Materials: Does the design use high quality materials of sufficient strength to achieve and withstand extremely high temperatures (2,000° F)?

Cooling/ Condensate Collection: Does the system design include an integrated system for quickly cooling the gas and collecting condensate?

Multi-Stage Filtering: Does the design include a multi-stage filtering system to ensure tars and other contaminants are effectively removed from the gas?

Blower System: Does the system accommodate both a ‘suction’ and ‘push’ blower configuration and include a blower of sufficient capacity to effectively move air and gas through the system?

Grate Automation: Does the system include grate automation that will provide automatic movement to the grate to ensure ash does not build up or clog the gas flow?

Upgradeability: Does the system design allow for upgrades to accommodate different applications, such as increasing or decreasing the amount of gas generated, adding of a ‘hopper’ for additional fuel capacity and runtimes?

Portability: Is the design to be an integrated unit that can be utilized on a mobile platform and moved easily as needed?

Tools Needed Regardless of what type of design you choose, there are some standard tools that will be required for your build: 180 Amp+ Welder (MIG, TIG or Stick) Plasma Cutter (Optional) Metal Band saw

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Grinding/Cutting Tool (4.5” or 5”) Cutting Tool (3”) Metal Drill bits (1/8”-3/4”) Bimetal Hole Saws (1” – 3”) Metal Roller (Optional) Drill Press (Optional) Table Saw Air Compressor Respirator Safety Glasses Welding/Work Gloves Misc. Tape Measure, Hammer, Wrenches, Screw Drivers, Allen Wrenches Wire Stripper/Cutter/Crimpers Black Markers Caulking Gun

Materials Materials will vary depending upon your specific chosen design. When building a production level design for high fuel grade syngas, your chosen materials must be capable of extreme heat environment. Internal temperatures can approach 2000° F, which is enough to melt metal, so the internal components that will experience the highest temperatures should be stainless steel.

Structural and housing components can be made using 1/8” and ¼” mild steel. Lighter gauge metals can be used on the cooling and filtering system that will be exposed to much reduced temperatures. Be very cautious of designs that utilize very light gauge metal such as that used in 50 gallon drums or even PVC components. Designs using these materials will either fail over time or the system will not be able to achieve the high temperatures needed for highest grade wood gas.

Some of the typical materials needed for your build will include: 25 Gallon (100#) Propane tanks 5 Gallon (25#) Propane tank 1/8” Mild steel plate metal ¼” Mild steel plate metal ¼” Stainless steel plate metal 2” Exhaust tubing 1.5” Exhaust tubing 1.25” Stainless tubing 5” Mild steel round pipe 6” Stainless steel round pipe 5” Mild steel square tubing 1.5” Mild steel square tubing 1” Mild steel flat bar ¾” Mild steel flat bar ½” Mild steel flat bar

¾” Stainless round bar 1” mild steel square bar 3” Black pipe and cap 2” Black pipe and cap 1.5” Black pipe and cap 1.25” Black pipe and cap CNC stainless steel air jets Expanded metal sheet 2” Ball valve 1.5” Ball valve 1.25” swing valve ¾” High temperature silicone 1” High Temperature ‘Fire Rope’ Superwool rolled high temp insulation High temperature mortar High Temperature gasket seal High temperature liquid gasket High capacity suction blower Grate motor assembly Automation relay control

Filter Media – Course Filter media – Medium Filter media – Fine Misc. Nuts and bolts Misc. 12 vdc wiring Misc. 12 vdc switches

Know your metals!

There are lots of different types of metals available. Know what type of metal is required for what type of component.

As mentioned previously, when working properly the temperatures in the wood gas generator are sufficient to melt metal. Below is an example of what happens when the wrong type of metal was used in an internal component. The internal temperatures melted the part that should have been stainless steel.

Gasifier Components Regardless of which design you choose to build, there are some standard components to the wood gas generator: Reactor: The reactor is the most critical component of the wood gas generator. This is where the wood fuel is combusted and the syngas is created. In this component the regulation of the air required for combustion is critical to the creation of the gas. It is in the core of the reactor (Choke/ Reduction Tube) where the extremely high temperatures are obtained as the fuel is combusted.

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Cooling: Once the Syngas is created from the reactor, it is pulled through a series of cooling tubes to cool the gas. As the gas cools the condensate from the gas is collected for removal.

The size of the opening in the choke plate and length of the reduction tube can vary depending upon the amount of gas to be generated. In a good system design, this part is removable so that it can be changed or resized as needed.

Condensate Collection: After the gas has cooled, condensate is collected for later removal. The amount of condensate is dependent upon the moisture content of the fuel. Charcoal has less moisture content than wood. Condensate may be collected at several points in the wood gas generation, including the top of the reactor, the cooling system, the filtering system or upon exit of the syngas from the system.

Wood Gasifier Designs Examples: Imbert Downdraft Gasifier Design Peterson Wood Gas Generator Design (Front View) Peterson Wood Gas Generator Design (Rear View)

Filtering: The filtering system removes any contaminants remaining in the wood gas after passing through the cooling and condensate collection. The most efficient designs utilize a multi-stage filtering system that includes several layers of filtration from course to very fine, much like a water filtration system. In the case of the wood gas generator, the course layer may use hay or straw while the fine layers use increasing fine levels of foam filters.

Suction Blower: A suction blower is used to ‘pull’ air into the reactor and to pull the gas through the cooling, condensate and filtering system and finally to an exit port past the blower. The suction blower is critical to the entire gas production process and a blower with sufficient suction capability must be used. In the case of a high grade fuel application, the suction blower would pull the gas through the system and out to a flare port, in which the gas may be ignited and shown in a visible flame. Once sufficient gas is being produced, the gas can then be fed into the engine or generator, which will provide the suction needed to pull the gas into the engine or generator. A blower may also be used to ‘push’ air into the system from the air intake as a supplement or alternative to the suction blower.

The Heart of the Wood Gasifier The below image is that of the “Choke Plate” and “Reduction Tube”, the components that funnel the fuel and where the fuel is consumed. It is this area that reaches the highest internal temperatures approaching 2,000° F. These Parts are typically made from ¼” (or greater) stainless steel.

Choke Plate and Reduction Tube

The Build Process The build process will involve cutting, shaping, bending, fitting, welding and assembling of the many metal components. It is very important to check and double check all measurements prior to cutting and welding and to ‘dry fit’ components before welding or assembly whenever possible.

Regardless of which design you choose, there will always be some slight modifications and adjustments during the build process. It is far easier (and less costly) to make these adjustments during a dry fit process rather than having to replace and rework portions of the build.

Welding Considerations There will be 2 types of welding needed for your build; (1) Critical Flow Welds – Those welds that contain and control the air intake into the systems, and the movement of the Syngas through the system, filters, and exit ports and (2) Structural – Those welds that are structural in nature that hold things together but do not affect the air or gas flow through the system. It is imperative that the (1) critical welds be air tight so as to not introduce uncontrolled air into the system that can cause internal ignition of the gas and/or cause the syngas to become diluted making it unusable.

Even the most experienced welders can have problems with making an airtight weld. Structural welds are not as critical as they do not affect the function of the gasifier. The main point here is if you are a home hobby shop welder, take great care on the critical airtight welds and even consider contracting out this portion of your welding. Additionally, perform leak tests as you build to ensure each section is airtight before completing the build as it will be easier to fix

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on a component level than to try to fix after the system is completed.

Critical: Testing for Leaks as you build!

It cannot be emphasized enough that controlling the air and gas flow through the system is crucial to a successful operating wood gas generator. Failure to ensure that there are no air leaks in the system can result in internal ignition of the gas which can be any simple ‘pops and bangs’ or something much more dangerous. Additionally, air leaks in the system can render the system non-functional providing syngas too diluted to ignite. One of the most common questions asked by first-time wood gasifier builders is “why won’t my gas ignite or stay lit?” While there are several contributing factors to this, air leaks in the system are the most common problem.

Since the design of the system is to have a suction blower placed near the gas exit which essentially ‘pulls’ air into the system and gas through the system, any air leaks in any of the critical flow components will introduce more air into the system. When doing leak testing it is recommended that you put the blower at the air intake into the system to essentially “push” air into the system and gas through the system. Using a spray bottle with water and dishwashing soap sprayed on each weld or joint will quickly and visibly show where there are air leaks. These leaks can then more easily be corrected at the component level before the system is completed. Leak tests should be done at each phase of the build for each component in the critical flow process; air intake, pyrolysis layer, heat exchange, cooling and filtering. A complete system leak test should also be conducted after final assembly and before functional testing to ensure the system is airtight. Failure to ensure an air tight system for proper air and gas flow can result in a non-functional system and leave you with a very costly 500lb. paperweight.

System Testing Once you have completed your build it is ready for some system testing. Initial testing should be done to test the basic operation of the system and as few variables as possible. Start testing using charcoal only as your fuel.

Charcoal has the lowest moisture content and will provide less condensate, tars and best gas. Once you have tested that your system is functional in creating gas that ignites and

remains lit, you can begin to experiment with different fuel mixtures; always use charcoal to start the ignition process but then add small chunks of low moisture wood as fuel.

Note things like how long it takes to start making usable gas, what color is the flame as the gas burns, how long does the gas stay lit. You can make minor adjustments to the fuel and airflow until you are able to create good quality gas in a consistent and predictable manner. Once you are able to generate syngas consistently on demand, you can then begin to begin to utilize the gas in your heating, engine or power generation configurations.

Troubleshooting note: When doing your first system testing, if you experience gas that won’t ignite or stay lit after lighting, you may have air leaks in your system. Try using the blower at the air intake and rerun the test. If you have any air leaks, by ‘pushing’ air into the system and pushing the resulting syngas, you would be pushing air and gas out through any leaks. The remaining gas coming out the exit port should be less diluted and should ignite. If this is the case, leaks should be identified and corrected if possible.

Wood Fuel The primary fuel for the wood gas generator is small ‘chunks’ of charcoal and wood. Both hardwood and softwood may be used. It is the charcoal that is actually combusted; the raw wood chunks are converted internally to charcoal as the burning process continues. You may experiment with the uses of other type of fuel such as wood pellets, corn husks, and other biodegradable material, however when trying these different fuel types, try to keep the ratio of these other fuel materials to less than 20%. The function of the system will be affected by the type fuel used and fuel too small may cause ‘bridging’, which causes fuel to lump together and restrict the flow of fuel through the reduction tube.

Production Testing Once you have completed system testing and are able to create consistent, quality gas for your specific application, you can move onto production testing, which includes optimizing the system performance for your particular application. Maximizing run times, how often you need to run, creating a maintenance schedule for ash clean out and changing filter media, fuel creation and storage, etc.

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Safety First

Summary

Make safety a priority in all aspects of your building process, testing and operation of your wood gas generator. Wear protective gear when welding, and working with metal. Wear gloves and eye protection when working and operating the gasifier. When operating the gasifier, always wear gloves, and even with gloves, avoid touching the hot surfaces of the operating wood gas generator due to the extreme temperatures. Additionally, always operate the gasifier outdoors or in a well-ventilated area and avoid breathing the smoke and wood gas. The wood gas (syngas) contains carbon monoxide which can be deadly. Just as you would not operate your vehicle in an enclosed space or indoors due to the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning, treat your wood gas generator with the same caution.

The decision to acquire or build a wood gas generator will be one of the wisest decisions you will make in empowering you and your family to live a more independent and selfsustaining life. Whether you live in the city, are tied to the grid and use it for emergency power generation or if you live off grid and generate your own power, you will find that this is a crucial and important step in your energy independence.

We welcome you to the growing members of wood gasification enthusiasts and we wish you the best success in the pursuit of your energy independence.

Should you have any questions on the information provided or if you would like some assistance in acquiring or building of your own wood gas generator, we would be glad to assist.

We can provide wood gas consultation services, DIY build kits, DIY Builder workshops and even complete Wood Gas Generator builds.

Gardening Under Cover: Spring to Fall

By Sheri Ann Richerson/ Experimental Homesteader Black plastic has been a very popular product for warming the soil for years. In recent years however, colored plastic has been introduced. The colored plastic is said to increase the yield and help the fruit or vegetables it is used around to produce faster. For example, red plastic is often used around tomato plants and eggplants. The red color is said to reflect the right color spectrum of light back on the plant.

This is said to help the tomatoes turn red sooner.

Gardening Under Cover Outdoors One of the main reasons for growing plants under cover in your garden is because it allows you to extend the season.

You can get a head start on spring or garden longer into fall, maybe even into winter if you desire to do so. Gardening under cover outdoors has many advantages, so get ready to venture into soil warming covers, cloches and cooling covers for summer!

Warming Garden Covers Many gardeners use soil covers such as plastic, whether black or colored, in early spring to increase the soil temperature and kill weeds. When plastic is laid on the soil, the sun hits it, and the temperature underneath the plastic naturally increases. The soil cover helps hold that heat in during the night even though outside temperatures fall.

Over time this helps the soil heat up and retain that heat making this area warmer than the surrounding soil that is not covered.

Crops such as cucumbers have shown a 30% increase in yield when mulched with dark blue plastic. Muskmelon has shown a 35% increase when mulched with either dark blue plastic or green plastic. Peppers prefer silver colored plastic and you can increase your yield by as much as 20% by using it. Summer squash seems to prefer dark blue plastic mulch and studies show that there is a 20% increase in produce when using it.

One advantage of these colored plastics is they seem to allow the soil to breath, unlike black plastic which is known to smother the soil underneath. The reason is the colored plastic is lighter in weight and has tiny factory made air holes. Due to the nature of the holes in the colored plastic that is made to be used as mulch weeds penetrating through the plastic from the ground below it is not a problem.

When using plastic in the garden, it will need to be held down or secured in some way. Landscape pegs or rocks work well. Landscape pegs are meant to be pushed into the edges of the plastic or weed cloth to hold the edges down secure to the ground so it cannot be easily pulled up or moved by wind, people, or critters such as rabbit. If you prefer not to push metal or plastic pegs into the ground, you can simply lay bricks, rocks or any other heavy material on top of the plastic or weed cloth right at the edges to secure it. You will want to place your landscape pegs, rocks,or bricks no further than a foot apart.

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Compost Mulching your garden with compost is another way to help the soil heat up. Simply add a three inch layer of compost to the top of the soil. The compost acts like a soil insulator, helping to keep the heat the soil already has retained. The way this works is by slowing the natural release of heat from the soil. As with anything, soil heats up when the sun’s rays hit it, but at night when the outside temperatures cool down some of that heat is lost. The compost acts like an insulator because it holds the heat into the soil. The compost will cool down before the layer of soil underneath of it begins to release heat.

Not only will you be improving your soil, but you will be accomplishing your goal of helping your soil to heat up faster so you can plant sooner. As a gardener, you simply cannot go wrong with compost.

blemish free produce by keeping insects away from your crops. If insects and critters cannot get to your produce or flowers, they cannot damage them. The downside is you need pollination to occur inside the covers, so at some point, you will need to allow pollinators such as bees in unless you intend to pollinate by hand.

Studies have show that frost covers alone can protect plants when temperatures dip down to 20 degrees F. Of course, this will depend on the plant and what the normal lowest temperature it can withstand.

Frost covers are often made from woven polypropylene.

Frost covers and row covers are very similar. The difference being frost covers are made to protect plants from frost while row covers may not do that.

Row Covers

Soil-heating Techniques Heating soil under cover is really easier than heating soil that is exposed to the elements. The cover over the area, such as a tunnel house, will help hold heat in. Add to that a layer of frost cover, a cloche or plastic on the ground and you have a way to hold the heat close to the ground making it the perfect place for growing heat loving plants or overwintering tender plants.

Heating soil also sterilizes it and kills weed seeds. Pests and diseases, just like plants, thrive at certain temperatures.

Before planting you may want to consider laying black plastic over the entire area and letting the sun heat it up.

This can help eliminate any problems by escalating the temperature of your soil to a temperature that is high enough that it will kill pests, weed seeds and disease organisms that may be hiding in your soil. The easiest way to figure out the temperature of your soil is to use a soil thermometer. Be sure to insert it into the ground so it penetrates the soil underneath the cover or the three inches of compost.

Frost Cover Frost cover is a great way to protect your plants year-round.

Frost cover is a lightweight, permeable fabric that offers protection from both frost and insects when draped over plants. It’s usually suspended on wire hoops so it does not come into direct contact with the plant foliage. The main use is to protect plants from frost, but it can help achieve

Soil temperatures are affected by the air temperature around them, so raised beds and soil under cover will heat up and retain that heat faster than soil on the ground. Row covers will help hold the heat close to your plants and can be supported by hoops or allowed to float freely on top of plants. By suspending the row cover, an air layer is created between the plants and the ground. This area heats up helping to keep the area the plants are growing in warmer.

It is also a good idea to suspend row covers so if frost hits them, it does seep through and damage the plants underneath. Row covers that are supported by hoops vary in height from twelve inches tall to thirty-six inches tall and are known as low tunnels.

Most row covers are made out of either polyethylene plastic or spun-bonded fabrics. They allow different amounts of

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the maximum amount of light in and also builds up and retains lots of heat. In the heat of summer you may not need as much light or as much heat buildup.

Cloches Some gardeners prefer to use cloches instead of row covers.

Cloches are essentially mini cold frames which are glass or plastic covers made to sit over plants or protect pots of plants from frost or cold weather. Most cloches are made out of glass or plastic. These small bell shaped glass covers were popular during the Victorian Era.

light through so if you want to grow shade plants or cool weather crops in the heat of summer you can choose one that allows less light to penetrate it. They are available in different thicknesses and weights as well so a bit of research on your part is important.

The thickness of the row cover fabric is measured by weight per square yard. That may seem a bit confusing to you, so here is a better breakdown. Row covers can weigh anywhere from half an ounce per square yard for a lightweight one to two ounces per square yard for a heavier one.

The heavier the row cover, the more frost protection it offers. Light weight row covers are used more for seedlings and young plants that need insect protection or maybe light frost protection.

They are lightweight enough that they can sit right on top of the plants, however it is advised that you use hoops to suspend the frost cover above your plants. Hoops can be made out of plastic conduit, metal coat hangers or any other material that will make a half circle. Simply stick one end in the ground and bend it over so the next end goes in on the other side of the plant or row you want to protect and then put your frost cover on top securing it on the ground with any weighted object such as sandbags, rocks, bricks or landscape pegs. What works well in your garden may not work so well in someone else’s garden, especially if the climates are different.

Spun-bonded or woven covers do not build up as much heat as polyethylene plastic materials do, and of course, clear materials are much better at gathering heat than white or colored row covers. When choosing the type of row cover you will use, think about the time of year you will use it and what you intend to grow under it. If you are growing in the dead of winter, you will want to choose a material that lets

Gardeners could use them to get a head start on the growing season. The glass would not only heat up the soil, but it would protect the tender plants from frost. In addition, cloches were used, and sometimes still are used, to protect small seedlings from pests such as slugs and snails.

Cloches still play an important role in year round gardening.

If you have a special plant you want to protect, simply place the cloche over it. They are also helpful in the vegetable garden. Put heat loving seedlings such as melons under them and see how fast they grow. Remember that cloches will need ventilating on warm days just like cold frames.

Cloches are easy to ventilate. If it is warm enough, simply remove the cloche from the plant, if not, sit a couple of bricks or pieces of wood under the edges of the cloche so the cool air can enter and the warm air can escape.

Today’s gardeners often make their own cloches from milk jugs and pop bottles – and they work! Make sure your containers are clean so they do not attract a variety of unwanted pests. Begin by cutting off the bottom of your container. You want to leave the end with the lid on so you can use the lid to vent your cloche. You can drill a few small holes in the top of your cloche if you prefer, but remember that any opening will allow frost to get to your plants.

When your cloche is ready to go into the ground, simply dig it in a little bit. If you are gardening in a windy area you may need to cross tie it so it does not blow away. The easiest way to do this is tie two or three strings around the neck of the cloche and secure them to the ground with landscape pegs.

There is no reason why the unheated greenhouse cannot be enjoyed during the winter. If you choose your plants carefully you can have both flowers and vegetables year round. Semi-hardy bulbs can be planted in containers sooner so when it is time to move them outside your plants already have a head start on the growing season.

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increase the amount of fruit, flowers or vegetables you are able to harvest.

It is not necessary to use cooling covers in fall, winter or spring. This is an item that is used in summer, once the heat begins to set in. Keeping plants too cool is as bad as letting them overheat because plants that are too cool also fail to perform as well as they should.

There are a variety of cooling covers to choose from. Your choice will depend on where you live, how cool you need the soil to be and the type of garden you have. For example, a more formal garden may use lattice mounted on wooden frames to cool their plants simply because it looks nicer.

Someone wanting to establish a shade garden who has young trees that do not provide enough shade may need to use solid shading. Solid shading could also be used in a greenhouse situation. If you are propagating shade plants, then of course, you will need shade and cool soil.

There are several ways to create shade in your garden or field during the heat of summer. Spun-bonded row covers are one way to cut down on some of the light that hits your plants. Cutting down on the amount of light that hits your plants is a great way to cool the soil. If you use a shade cloth that blocks 20 percent of the light, your crop will still get 80% of the sun light but the soil will remain moist and the plants roots cooler than if they were exposed to full sun. For crops such as lettuce that can quickly bolt, this may help you continue to get a harvest into mid-summer.

Cooling Covers for Summer The heat of summer can cause many plants to wilt or even die. Lettuce, peas and other cool season crops die out once the heat sets in. Shade cloth in summer cuts down on the amount of water you’ll need to use. Plastic containers under shade cloth are much less likely to overheat and kill your plants roots because the do not have the hot sun hitting them. Black tends to absorb heat which will make the soil inside the pot heat up. If the soil in the pot gets too hot and begins to dry up the plants roots will also dry out, thus causing the plant to die. Even heat loving plants such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplants can look a bit pouty at the end of the day when temperatures hit the 90 degree F mark.

Spun-Bonded and Shade-Cloth Row Covers A better way is to use shade cloth is as a row cover. Shade cloth can be put on hoops directly over the plants, used to

Covers that provide a bit of shade help cool the soil. The cooler the soil can be kept the more moisture it will hold and the cooler the plants root will be. Plants that have cool roots and plenty of moisture will be less likely to wilt. When plants wilt, it stresses them. Stressed plants do not perform as well as plants that have all they need, so basically you can use a cooling cover to keep your plants happy which will

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cover tunnel houses or you can build a structure and cover the roof with the shade cloth. Again, this is a great way to provide a bit of shade to cool weather crops that would not thrive in the heat of summer.

Shade cloth comes in different percentages of shading. You can get 50% shade, 70%, 80%, and so on. Sometimes you only need a small amount of shade to cool things down considerably.

Shade cloth can be found usually in green or black, however other colors are available. There doesn’t seem to be a difference in the ways the various colors work, one works just as well as the other. Shade cloth on the sides of a structure will cut down on wind damage to foliage plants. In a pinch, you can use bird netting, mosquito nets or even large pieces of cheesecloth to provide a bit of shade.

Shade cloth should be laid over the top of hoop houses, cold frames, greenhouses or other structures such as wood frames. It can be nailed down, tied down to a stake in the ground, similar to the way you would tie a tent, if it is the type that has grommet in it, clipped on hoops using greenhouse clips that are available through greenhouse supply stores or simply secured to the ground using a heavy material such as rocks, stones or sandbags similar to the way you would secure plastic to the ground. Spun-bonded row covers are usually see through and are used for protecting plants from insects or they can be used to get a head start on the gardening season.

Spun-bonded row covers are generally heavier, offer a higher degree of protection but on the downside they tend to exclude more light. These types of covers are better used in the summer months when there is plenty of light or for crops that can tolerate some shade.

Lattice Lattice covers are not only a great way to provide some shade but they offer the additional advantage of allowing climbing plants to have a place to grow. Traditionally lattice covers would be used for a crop such as grapes, however, they will work for almost any crop that needs to vine or needs some shade.

Since shade cloth is a permeable layer, it will let rain through, and can be irrigated overhead with sprinklers if need be. Shade cloth can also be used to keep out birds and other animal pests. Shade cloth can also be a quick way to provide some summertime shade for your pets.

Most shade cloth is made of different plastics but there are some that use aluminum along with the plastics and these are very useful in very hot areas. The shade clothes made of a combination of materials will reflect a good deal of the sun’s UV rays keeping it much cooler underneath. Shade cloth with aluminum, such as Aluminet, is handy for high traffic areas and covered work areas.

Shade cloth can be bought as either knitted material or woven cloth. The knitted shade cloth is lighter and stronger than the woven, costs a bit more usually, and it can be cut without the ends unraveling.

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to the wood or other material you are mounting it to. If it is a heavy shade cloth you would mount it the same way you would regular shade cloth. You could lay it over the top of hoop houses, cold frames, greenhouses or other structures such as wood frames. It can be nailed down or tied down to a stake in the ground, similar to the way you would tie a tent if it is the type that has grommet, or metal ring with an empty center area in it. It can be clipped on hoops using greenhouse clips that are available through greenhouse supply stores or simply secured to the ground using a heavy material such as rocks, stones or sandbags similar to the way you would secure plastic to the ground.

By using these various techniques you can successfully garden year-round even if you live in a cold climate. For more information, please check out The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Year-Round Gardening.

Lattice is generally attached to a wooden frame with nails.

The framed lattice is then secured on posts, using nails or screws, that have been put two or three feet into the ground. These posts can be secured with cement if they are meant to be permanent. The lattice can be nailed on the side of these posts to create a fence or it can be mounted on top of four corner posts to create a shaded area underneath of it.

Solid Shade Solid shading in the garden would be used to create a shaded area where there is not currently one. For example, if you have planted some small trees that do not offer much shade, but want to put in shade plants, creating an area of solid shade would be a good idea.

You can do this using solid material such as metal roofing, plywood or heavy shade cloth. As the tree grows, the structure that is holding the shade material would be removed. This gives you the chance to establish a shade garden before there is enough shade there to sustain it.

Mounting solid shading can be done in a variety of ways. If it is wood or metal you would use nails or screws to secure it

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Emergency Preparedness: Quick Guide to Prepare your Kids

By Karen Pagan/PreparedBee.com

No one is sure enough when and where a disaster or any sort of emergencies will happen. It strikes quick and random, often without warning. Dealing with a natural or man-made disaster can be a stressful and nerve-racking experience for anyone, especially for kids.

Even adults are frightened and traumatized by these disasters, thus emergency preparedness must be discussed between parents and their kids. Remember, your kids are not with you all the time, so in order to ensure their safety and survival, you need to prepare and train them for the worst-case scenarios.

Preppers are always ahead. Sure thing. How about preppers’ kids, are they preppers too? Emergency preparedness for kids

is not just a Girl Scout or Boy Scout thing, it is rather arming your kids with extra knowledge and brisk mindset in times of an apocalypse like kids might imagine in movies.

How you do you prepare your children for a season of emergencies? Read this page and take a tour of this guide in Emergency Preparedness for Kids, plus quick tips to prepare your kids right away.

Talk About Disasters in Advance Disasters come in many forms and strength. They pay surprise visits oftentimes, so the best way to welcome them is to 29 26

prepare, prepare and prepare; this discussion with your kids in advance is very important.

Make sure your kids know where the items are to be found, that these items are specifically used during emergencies and you may ask them what item or supply they want to add to the kit. Allow your kids to get it themselves to familiarize these items.

Practice / role-play You can do this through a game with scenarios for your kids to test their knowledge. Perform scenarios according to their age and development. Do this occasionally like once or twice a year so that your kids are prepared to deal with emergencies as much as possible.

Role-playing emergency situations will reduce panic or anxiety in case a real emergency occurs. Just make sure to process or discuss the game or scenario you played.

Discuss Emergency Plan When you involve your kids with your emergency plans, you’re giving them the sense of empowerment. You’re allowing them to be in charge; an autonomous child will hold the authority to your family’s safety too. Consider these tips: ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

Make and sketch an Evacuation Plan (they’ll surely enjoy this) Condition their minds like what they have seen in the movie Let them memorize important phone numbers (neighbor, health centers, 911, etc.)

Get a local map and a highlighter and determine important destinations and the routes to get there

Approaches should differ depending on the age of the child.

But even a 5-year-old may be able to understand the importance of having a place to meet up if something happens. Giving kids a role in this situation, especially after they see disasters somewhere else, is an advantage to make them feel safer.

Guide Your Kids During the Splash of Disaster The feeling of fear is natural but in times of emergencies, your kids are surely in a great mess. They will be looking for clues on what to do and will definitely look for you to rescue. Here are few things to keep in mind during the splash of disaster: ✦

Get a survival kit and discuss kit rules Any disaster plan is complete with supplies, like food and water, medicine, tools, gears, and other items. Let your kids help you gather these supplies; this will encourage them to pay attention and take your advice keenly.

✦

✦

Keep calm. This is the best weapon in any kind of catastrophe. Kids will surely calm when your parents keep calm too. If you show any sign of distress, your kids may become more scared, noticing your fear as an indication that the danger is real. If you demonstrate calmness and control, your kid may feel more confident and better able to cope up.

Stay indoors. Listen to the news for updates and warnings. It is important to know what the officials and any other person-in-charge instruct: whether the disaster is under control and just stay indoors or if you need to evacuate from your house for safety.

Remove any electrical connected-wires as much as possible. This will help you lessen the possibility of catching radiation in your house. Or you can just turn off the main electrical switch.

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✦

Evacuate when local authorities told you to do so. When you need to evacuate, stay calm. Turn off the main electricity switch, close the windows, secure the safety of your house and bring your survival kit or go-bag.

Once a Kid Feels Afraid, He/She Is Really Afraid!

Kids’ fears increase by their imagination. Never take these feelings for granted. Your words and actions surely suffice reassurance; just be sure to portray a realistic picture that is both honest and sincere.

During emergencies, things can always get out of control. But your kids will feel confident knowing that you’re doing your best for them. Posing hugs and building security is necessary during these times. So when you sit with your kids, make sure they know that you will do everything you can to keep him safe as always, no matter what the odds are.

Help Your Kids Recover After a Disaster

Know What to Do Be keen on your kids’ emotional and psychological state by asking first what is in their mind. Your kids need to participate in your family’s recovery activities and soon they will feel that things are getting back to normal.

Prevent your kids from watching or previewing television programs or news report about the event or any kind of disaster. It can be upsetting for them and possibly recall a tragic or a discomfort feeling, especially kids who are too young to control and hold on to their feelings.

Know How to Help Kids Cope Kids may not be aware that they are emotionally disturbed by the catastrophic experience you had in your family. You need to gradually know how to get rid of unfriendly symptoms.

Here are few keys to help them recover: •

Have a normal conversation and never bring up the topic first, wait until your kid opens up about it.

•

Expose your kids to an outdoor activity that will help his mind divert to a variety of things. You may consider camping, fishing or just playing around your house like the normal thing you do.

•

Always give a positive reinforcement or positive regard towards your everyday discourse.

Know What to Expect Kids depend on familiar and encoded routines. Once an emergency interrupts their system, they may become confused, frightened, or unwilling to perform and these may be expressed in a different manner like withdrawal, aloof or shyness and perhaps lead to aggressiveness and other extreme behavior.

That is why, it is imperative to talk and explain to your kids what has happened in your house, your surroundings, the people or even the community you have lived in (in case worse scenarios happen). This allows them to internalize and reflect on what they have felt during the splash of disasters until it’s over.

Ultimately, one of the most important ways you can minimize your kids’ stress and anxiety in an emergency situation is through coping well yourself.

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The Medicine Finally Worked…

Some experiences with the Remarkable Aloe Vera Plant

By Christopher Nyerges / SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com Sometime in late 1978, my mother shared with me an experience she had with the Aloe vera plant. My mother, Marie, was a Registered Nurse who worked at a Pasadena retirement home as the staff nurse. About three months earlier, a housekeeper who lived on-site at the retirement home began to break out in a hive-like rash that caused her to itch constantly. The cause was said to be a nervous condition. The patient’s thighs, back, arms, shoulders, and neck all broke out in this rash, which the patient described as “burning like fire.”

My mother offered to apply the juice of the aloe leaf to the patient’s red spots, but the patient responded, “No, I’ll have the doctor check it.” The doctor came and prescribed Atarax (internally) for the itching and allergies, and cortisone (externally), which was applied as a cream. The doctor also prescribed tranquilizers for sleep.

After about 45 days, the patient, Lucille, told my mother that she still could not sleep at night, and that the rash hadn’t improved. Lucille noted that there was a slight improvement in the rash when she stayed home and didn’t go to work, so Lucille and the doctor assumed this was a nervous condition associated with work.

So my mother, Lucille’s nurse, asked again if she’d like to try some aloe.

Lucille responded, “Yes, please, bring me

anything!” My mother noted that Lucille’s skin was hot to the touch, and there were big red spots all over.

At 7:30 a.m., my mother took a fresh succulent Aloe Vera leaf, slit it open, and rubbed the gel on Lucille’s arms, legs, back, and neck – almost her entire body. Lucille said her skin immediately felt better. By 3:30 that afternoon, all the visibly red spots were gone, and Lucille happily told my mother that all of the burning itching was gone. The next day Lucille told my mother that that night was the first night she’d slept in the previous approximately 45 days.

My mother had been somewhat reticent to apply the aloe because she was subservient to the doctor, and could have lost her license by doing something without the approval of the doctor.

When the doctor arrived, Marie told him that Lucille’s rash had cleared up, and she admitted to having applied aloe juice. The doctor was somewhat taciturn as he examined the patient, and, without commenting on the aloe, told my mother, “It’s good that the medicine finally worked.” Really?!

My mother always had a laugh re-telling this story about a doctor who couldn’t see the obvious! Eventually, the other nurses referred to my mother as the “witch-doctor” because she used aloe and various other natural methods of healing, behind the doctor’s back.

Over the years, I had my mother document the many cases where she used aloe to cure various skin conditions, on her patients, herself, and even cats.

Marie used aloe for sun burn, burns from hot oil, skin sores, diaper rash, bed sores, even poison oak rash.

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In one case, our family cat had a large open ulcer on his thigh – we weren’t sure of the cause, but we presumed that the cat got into a fight. My mother directed me to put some of fresh aloe gel onto the ulcer every day for three day, while also making some of the aloe leaf into a juice which was added to the cat’s water. The wound was completely healed after three days. “It was unbelievable,” expressed Marie, “but it worked!”

My mother’s experiences took place over 35 years ago, and today, Aloe Vera is a common household word. You can buy it anywhere, even Trader Joe’s markets. And as the succulent plant was studied and researched all these years, many have come to call it a miracle herb.

(reduces itching), as well as a nutrient. It apparently works because of the polysaccharides present, the main one of which is a glucomannan. Others ingredients of the aloe include galactose, uronic acids, and pentoses. The miracle qualities of the aloe are not believed to be the polysaccharides alone, but the synergistic effect of these and other compounds in the leaf.

Obviously, many have tried to create an aloe product that you can buy in the bottle, and some are quite good. I’ve had some good results from the aloe drink that I have purchased at Trader Joe’s market. But please make no mistake about it: the best results come from the gel from the freshly-broken leaf of aloe. And though Aloe Vera seems to be the best, any of the juice from any aloe can be used for burns, poison oak, etc.

The properties of aloe are a broad mix of antibiotic, astringent, pain inhibitor, emollient, moisturizer, antipruritic

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Foraging For Mushrooms plus Recipes

By Heather Harris/ thehomesteadinghippy.com When learning to forage for mushrooms, safety is a top priority. There are over 1,600 identified species of fungi, and it is thought that there are at least twice as many unidentified species! Going with someone who has experience in hunting mushrooms is a great way to get safe experience.

Some things to remember when hunting for mushrooms: * Take along a camera to take photos of mushrooms that you aren't sure of the identity * Collect mushrooms in a mesh bag, not paper or plastic. This will allow the spores to spread as you walk with them, ensuring mushrooms later. * Many foragers feel that cutting a mushroom with a sharp knife is what helps to keep the fungi growing in that area; others feel that “plucking” them is fine. We have done both and see equal success in regrowth in subsequent years. * Mark the area you find a mushroom on a map, or in a notebook. Make sure to check at that area first for new growth later on. * When asking other 'shroomers where they find their “gold,” keep in mind, most won't tell. They will be happy to go with YOU on your route to find mushrooms, though. * Learning how to identify the cap, stem, and gills is a great way to start. When those things are identified, and you still aren't sure, taking a spore print will aid in positive identification.

If a mushroom is edible, it can be consumed in any manner you wish, raw or cooked. However, most will develop their

flavor when sautéed or when cooked into soups, stews or stir frys. **NEVER EAT A MUSHROOM YOU CAN'T POSITIVELY IDENTIFY** To take a mushroom home for a spore print, you will need a mature mushroom. Young mushrooms and those with something covering their gills are not likely to drop spores for a print. Spore prints are very useful for a positive id on the mushroom.

1. Remove the stem and place the cap, gills and pores facing down on a piece of paper. If you have two of the same specimen, try using both black and white papers, in case of lighter or darker color spores. Some use glass to solve that issue, as all colors can be seen on a glass slide.

2. Place a cup or glass on top of the mushroom, (upside– down) to keep air or wind away.

3. Leave the mushroom and glass in place for several hours, or overnight. Some spore prints may appear after a few hours, some will take longer.

4. While removing the glass, cap, and stem, you will see a print on the paper or glass. Take care to not disturb the print.

You may be able to see the pattern of the gills if the spores fall directly down and are not disturbed.

The COLOR of the print is what is used to compare with field guides and keys. Some mycologists have tried to standardize the color interpretations, but have had little success. Some color differences range from subtle, like white to creamy and are more difficult to identify. Others, such as pink or brown prints are easily used to help identify the mushroom.

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For mushrooms like morels and false morels, and those belonging to Ascomycetes, the spore print may also have prints around the mushroom as well as underneath it. This is due to the species' tiny spore jets that forcibly eject the spores.

Please note, that the botany names do change on mushrooms as new species are discovered and classified.

Let's talk about 3 commonly found mushrooms and how to use them.

Morels

Latin Name: Morchella esculenta Family: Morchellaceae

Season: Early Spring Edible Parts: All Poisonous Parts: None Lookalikes: False morels are look alike, and can be toxic. To determine if your mushroom is a true mushroom, the cap will be completely attached to the stem, and it will be hollow inside. If the cap is not completely flush with the stem, or it has woody fibers on the inside, it's not a true morel. False morels will also have a cap that is wavier, lobed, and have the appearance of bulging outwards.

Morels are terrific sautéed in butter and served on steak, burgers, or in omelets and topping on pizza. They are chewier when raw, so they are best cooked.

Morel Pizza 2 Tablespoons honey

General Description: They are a spring mushroom, making their appearance from February through early June. Both white and black morels are most commonly found around ash, elm, or even apple trees, growing on the ground. White morels are also common along fence rows, along railroad tracks and near floodplains.

Size: Commonly between 1-6 inches tall Cap: Cap and stems are hollow. The stem is attached to the base of the cap. The cap will have a honeycomb appearance, and will be pinched inwards in a true morel. They will also be more uniformly shaped.

Stalk: Completely hollow on the inside.

Habitat: Damp forests around Elm, ash, sycamore, cottonwood, bigger, older trees.

Gills: Not apparent Spore Print: Color light colored with a cream to light yellow being most common.

Zone: Throughout North America

1 Tablespoon dried yeast 1 cup warm water ¼ cup olive oil 3 cups flour (white, wheat, or mixture) 1 teaspoon salt 1 Tablespoon butter 1 cup chopped morels 1 cup prepared pizza sauce 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese In a medium mixing bowl, add the water, sugar and yeast.

Stir to dissolve.

Allow yeast to proof for 5 minutes Add the oil and stir in.

Add the salt to the flour and combine.

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Add the flour to the water mixture, 1 cup at a time, stirring after each addition.

Knead the flour until it becomes a smooth dough ball, approximately 10 minutes.

Allow the dough to rise for 10 minutes In a hot skillet, add the butter and chopped morels.

Sauté for 5 minutes Preheat the oven to 425 Roll the dough into a large circle, or press into pizza pan.

Poke with a fork in several places to avoid air bubbles.

Bake crust for 15 minutes, then remove Add sauce, mushrooms and cheese.

Return to oven to bake for another 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and golden brown.

Allow to cool for 3 minutes before slicing and serving.

Chantrelles

Chanterelles tend to grow in clusters in mossy coniferous forests, but are also often found in mountainous birch forests and among grasses and low–growing herbs. Chanterelles are also “stringy.” You can peel a wedge of cap off all the way down to the end, like string cheese.

Size: Can be from 1-10 inches across Cap: Either convex or vase shaped, and normally light yellow to orange–yellow in color. Cantharellus persicinus is a variety of chanterelles that is peach colored.

Stalk: Smooth, with no bulb around the base or ring. Not hollow. Same color as the cap.

Habitat: Can be found growing right on the ground, sometimes as a group in open woods and forests and often under trees.

Gills: False gills that appear like forked folds and are not easily removed from the cap. They may look “melted” into the mushroom. They are also run down the stem.

Spore Print: White to light yellow Zone: Western States and Alaska Season: Summer to fall mushrooms, being in “season” from June through September; fresh picked mushrooms will have a sweet smell, similar to apricots. Will appear meaty and funnel shaped.

Edible Parts: All Poisonous Parts: None Lookalikes: Identifying a true chanterelle from a false chanterelle is done by a few factors: * True chanterelle is uniform in a yellow egg yolk color.

False chanterelle is more orange in hue and may have a darker center. * Omphalotus (jack o’ lantern mushrooms) are commonly misidentified as chanterelles, but are identified by their gills. Jack O’ Lanterns will have well– developed, obviously forked gills.

Latin Name: Cantharellus cibarius Family: Cantharellus

General Description: Due to their mycorrhizal relationship with trees, you'll only find them growing on the ground, usually near some sort of hardwood (oaks, conifers, etc.).

* Jack o'lanterns will grow in large groups, and the stems are attached. Chanterelles are usually solitary or in a small bunch, and the stems are separate.

Chanterelles are fat soluble, so they are perfect for sautéing in oil or butter. Perfect for a burger replacement, or in a quiche for breakfast.

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Chanterelle Quiche 12 eggs

Oyster Latin Name: Pleurotus ostreatus Family: Pleurotaceae

½ cup milk 1 Tablespoon butter 1 small onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon black pepper 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 2 cups chopped chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned In a medium sized bowl, crack the eggs.

Preheat oven to 350 Add the milk and whisk together thoroughly. Set aside In a hot cast iron skillet, or other oven proof skillet, melt the butter.

Add onions, garlic, salt and pepper and mushrooms.

Sauté for 5 minutes Pour egg and milk mixture over the veggies.

Sprinkle with cheese.

Place in oven and allow to bake for 45 minutes.

Serve immediately.

General Description: Found on dead hardwood trees or decaying wood, oysters will commonly be growing in clusters, or layers, stacked upon each other. They will be smooth, with no warts or scales and have a white to light brown flesh that is quite firm.

Size: Approximately 1 ½ to 6 inches across at the cap.

Cap: Colors may be gray, blue, yellow, pink, or white. May also be found in tan color, that will spread to be over 30 cm in diameter and have thick, meaty flesh. The cap is scallop shaped.

Stalk: If it is growing on a side of a log, the stem will often be stubby and off center. If it is in the top of the cluster, the stem will be better developed.

Habitat: Widespread in temperate climates, commonly found on deciduous trees such as beech Gills: Wills are white, and are attached to and running down the cap and stubby stem.

Spore Print: White to lilac–gray.

Zone: Temperate climates Season: A summer mushroom, this will commonly appear as the later summer rains happen and be found all through fall.

Edible Parts: All Poisonous Parts: None Lookalikes: To tell a true oyster from the similar species, the elm oyster (Hypsizygus ulmarius) is done by looking at the gills. The gills of a true oyster will run all down the stem, and the elm oyster gills will not be on the stem. Although edible, the elm oyster will often lack the flavor of a true oyster.

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Oyster mushrooms are a delicacy in many cuisines. They are great in soups or stuffed.

1 ½ Cups milk

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Black Pepper to taste

4 Cups Chicken Stock

1 Tsp Salt 2 Tablespoons Chopped Parsley

Melt Butter.

Sauté Onion and Mushrooms until tender.

Blend in flour. Cook for 2 minutes, browning flour and allowing roux to thicken Stir in broth and milk..

Stir until it thickens and comes to a boil.

Add remaining ingredients and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes

1 ¼ lbs oyster mushrooms 3 Tablespoons Butter

What mushrooms will you go foraging for this year?

¼ Cup minced fresh onion ⅓ Cup Flour

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Excerpted from the novel, PULSE, by L.R.Burkard Available on Amazon in kindle or print.

PULSE(Part Two)

By L.R. Burkard

Chapter Eight LEXIE This morning we woke to a brand new dark plume in the southern sky. A big one. I tried to ignore it and headed to the barn to tend the animals. While I was there, Jared and another of our newer residents, a young black father by name of Mr. Washington, came in to get Molly the mule. Molly came to us with Mr. Washington and his eleven year old daughter. I felt queasy as soon as I saw them saddling her because I knew why they were doing it.

“How’s your horse?” Mr. Washington asked, pulling me from my musings. I’d been shoveling hay into her stall, not realizing I’d stopped working to watch them. “What’s ‘er name again?”

“Rhema.”

“That’s an unusual name.”

“It means Word of God.” I watched for his reaction. He nodded, but I figured he was being noncommittal, not wanting to show he thought it was a weird name. I guessed he was trying to distract me from their grisly business.

See, there is so much work to be done on the compound without any power tools that we can’t bury the dead marauders—the “number fours.” There is too much sheer manpower necessary. So I knew they were gonna put the bodies on Molly’s back, take her for a long walk, and dump them in a ditch somewhere off our property.

They’d throw brush and leaves over them, and then return. I understood— it needed to be done. I just hated thinking about it.

(Cont'd. from last issue) While Jared readied the mule, Mr. Washington came over to pet Rhema. I took a good look at him—smooth, light mocha skin, short black hair—he was younger than my folks, and wore jeans and cowboy boots. He and Andrea’s mom are good friends. Andrea resents him; she says her mother flirts with him. He’s a widower, and Andrea’s mom is a widow, so they have that in common.

But Andrea’s dad’s only been gone a few months, so their friendship upsets her. She really loses it when she sees them near each other.

Anyways, it’s great having a mule, and Washington’s daughter, Evangeline, plays very patiently with both sets of twins. She and her dad are a good addition to our community.

Jared finished saddling up Molly and nodded darkly at me as they left.

After they’d gone I thought about the four kinds of people in the world now. I never got to explain about this in my journal, so here goes: The first type, the number ones, are people like us.

Survivors who have made it this far by living off their ingenuity and stored supplies. Most are homestead preppers like we are; or urban preppers—meaning they didn’t have land or livestock, but they stored a lot of provisions and it’s kept them alive.

Urban preppers are valuable to a compound because they usually know how to garden—even if they’ve only done it on a balcony—and how to purify water; many of them are trained to protect themselves with a firearm, too.

Most of the people in our compound are number ones who were running low on resources and needed a place to live where they could work and eke

out a living—but the main thing about number ones is that we mean no harm to others and only fight to defend ourselves. That is important! We deplore the violence of our attackers and we deplore having to be violent in return! I never told my folks this (not even Andrea. Blake alone knows about it), but I got sick after we fought off Roy and his gang. I still feel sick about shooting at people. I worry that I’m weaker than the others, but really, there is something very wrong about teenagers having to fight for our lives.

Anyways, number ones can be selfreliant with the proper tools. But if we lost our home and property, we’d be about as helpless as the unprepared.

Some number ones are true survivalists —they’re like preppers on steroids!— and can live off the land without a home or property of their own. But that isn’t us. They’re often loners and keep to themselves, which is good because Dad says if they’re not friendly, they could be as dangerous as number fours—maybe worse, because they’re often well-trained in combat.

So anyways, then there are the number twos. These are folks who have survived the first wave of death, but just barely. (Blake once called it “mass extinction,” but I asked him not to say that, because it sounds so horrible.)

Number twos had enough supplies or managed to find enough to survive but are at the end of themselves. They can’t make it through another winter without help. Unlike number ones, they are clueless about methods of survival; they don’t know gardening or food preservation, and they have no necessary skills for the compound.

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There aren’t a lot of number twos, simply because most people without food storage or survival skills didn’t make it through the winter. The ones that survived are not usually a threat, but they can lead number threes or fours to us. But mostly they’re just regular people who are scared. They roam in pairs or small groups, wearing backpacks and looking like hikers who’ve been on the trail too long. They come in all kinds of weather, morning or night. They see the flickering light of our oil lamps, or smell our grill fire, or see someone heading from the barn to the house and they come.

We sometimes give small amounts of food or water to such people, but we can’t take them in. I hate to be around when my dad or someone else turns them away. It’s heartbreaking! But I know the reason, I know it’s necessary.

Because if we let them join us, we’d deplete our stores and soon we would be in no better shape than they are.

Our only option for long-term survival is to follow FARMSEC (farmstead security) rules, which says we can’t open our doors to these people.

Everyone in the compound gets instruction in FARMSEC, from the youngest to the oldest. (It’s a play on words from OPSEC, a military term meaning Operational Security.

Survivalists and preppers took the term for themselves, so that OPSEC means any type of security measure taken to protect one’s home or compound, or farm—you get the idea.) Anyways, FARMSEC means border security so we can keep operating; keep milking, keep growing chicks and kits (baby rabbits), and keep up a survival garden. We have to be our own little army. We are the military inside our compound and any stranger—no matter how innocuous they may look—is a civilian. And civilians are automatically suspect. I hate to see people this way—as immediate needs for threat assessment. But that’s what many people are—a threat.

Most number twos would starve before killing another human being, no matter how desperate and destitute they are. I wish we could help every single one of those people. I have to accept that we can’t.

If a number two approaches the farm, a single warning shot from a lookout will turn them away. Sometimes that isn’t enough. Then we know they aren’t a number two at all. They’re either a number three or four.

Number threes are a bigger threat than number twos, a more insidious threat, because like Roy the bus driver, they look normal. They act innocent, like they’re a number two, a miraculous survivor who just happened to make it this far. They approach us with their hands up (so we can’t shoot; they count on us not being heartless, and we’re not); but when we turn them away, they retreat only far enough to be out of sight. We’ve learned they’ll wait for an opportunity to take something, to sneak up on us.

Sometimes they creep up behind the brush line and then charge the chicken coop or make a dash for the barn.

Number threes aren’t necessarily willing to kill us for what we’ve got, but they’re more than willing to relieve us of some of it. Sometimes they will open fire. Most of them don’t want it to come to that, because they aren’t well organized, and they don’t want a full-scale battle; they’re looking for the easy targets, and often when they realize we’re not one, they go away.

But then, there are the number fours.

These are the most dangerous, because they’re reckless, ruthless, and vicious.

They don’t come alone. Like Roy and his gang, they’re organized. They’ve got leaders and followers and they’re armed and ready for battle. Other than the foreign troops we hear about, I fear them the most. They have no moral compass, and the only life they respect is their own. They are the ones who stole Kasha, our dog—probably for

food. They are the main reason we maintain FARMSEC. Why we continue to have target practice, and security drills, and other things; the reason Dad painstakingly removes lead casings from old wiring and pipes and melts it into new bullets.

I still feel bad for people who need help. But it’s hard to feel bad when some of them just want you dead.

When I’d emptied the chicken manure into the garden, glad for the spring air, I remembered Dad’s warning that all types of people would keep coming until next winter set in. The tricky thing was every so often we might get someone (or a family) who would be an asset to have with us. For instance, take our infirmary. It’s a tent, nothing like a true infirmary as far as supplies go, but we have a D.O., Mr. Clepps, who came looking for handouts. A D.O. is just like an M.D., so he stays. (The other day we picked up an obstetrical nurse and her husband. But I’ll write about that later.)

All our families brought valuable supplies or skills. Andrea’s didn’t, but it turned out she is a sure-shot; she even saved my dad’s life! We have a woodworker, an ex-timber guy who is invaluable when it comes to downing trees for timber, and Mrs. Schuman, who can sew clothing by hand. She brought fabrics—lots of them. All the skilled people we get are Godsends.

Even Blake’s family, though they are probably the closest friends my parents have (and have known each other for ages) brought their own homesteading skills and tools and animals and knowhow. Being fellow Christians didn’t hurt, either. We have Bible studies every week again now, and on many mornings we meet for devotions and praise while breakfast is being prepared.

I really appreciate Bible Study even though I’m not always in the mood for

40

it. Questions arise for me when I’m reading my Bible and, while commentaries help, study is the perfect place to air my questions. And I do. I’m not taking anything for granted. I’m not a Christian just because my parents are.

I’m a Christian because I’ve felt the presence of God, and I’ve heard his voice, and I know he’s real. In some ways, I think I’m closer to God now than I used to be. Devotions and group prayer used to be sporadic in my family. Not anymore.

Some people think Christians shouldn’t defend themselves; that we should just give up our stuff to those who want it.

But there is a time for everything—“a time for war and a time for peace.”

Like it or not, it is a time for war. (Even Jesus told his disciples once, “If you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.” That’s Luke 22:36. There is a place for self-defense in the Christian’s life.)

Anyways, as I thought about this stuff, I realized we have nothing less than a new class system in America right now.

It’s a threat assessment system, but it works pretty much like a class system if you ask me. The fours are the lowest class—the ones we don’t bury.

After chores, I ran into Blake in the kitchen as I took out supplies. Andrea would be bringing the children in soon, and I had to get their snack ready.

“Council meeting, tonight.”

I met his gaze. “Okay. Are you going?”

We teens didn’t always attend the council meetings; sometimes it was all about administrative stuff that we didn’t need to be in on. Other times we would be ordered to attend, as when FARMSEC rules would be gone over.

“Yeah. Did you hear?”

“About what?”

“A radio contact from Indiana reported seeing soldiers. A military unit that wasn’t American. I guess we’ll hear more about it tonight.”

“Okay.” I waited, hoping he would say something more personal. Blake and I have an understanding—we are boyfriend and girlfriend, see, but his idea of a relationship isn’t my idea of one. He thinks we can get by with eyes meeting, holding hands now and then, and sitting together at events like the Council meetings. I dunno, maybe it’s because I’m a girl, but I want a little more than that from him. Even though his family is now living on our property, we don’t spend a lot of time together.

Like everyone else on the compound, Blake and I both have schedules we have to follow.

Blake is one of our lookouts, too, which means he is away, up on the hill or at another post on one of our borders, keeping watch on twelve-hour shifts.

When he’s up there on duty, I sometimes manage to finagle my dad’s walkie-talkie from him and I call Blake.

But we both know during those conversations that every other lookout can hear us, as well as people at the house. We have a lot of connected walkie-talkies. We can’t say anything that means anything.

I really want to accompany Blake on lookout duty, but my dad never lets me. He thinks we’ll talk or start giving each other moony eyes or something and totally forget about keeping watch.

But that’s not it at all! I just want to be near Blake. We’re gonna be married one day, so we ought to learn to work together. Why can’t my dad trust me to do the job if I’m with Blake? It isn’t fair.

Chapter Nine ANDREA “Hey.” I approached Jared as he worked on the side of the small cabin he was building for himself and his mother. Jared hadn’t wanted to build;

he’d asked if he and his mother could stay at the farmhouse like me and my family. But Mr. Martin wouldn’t let him. I didn’t know why, except the Martins have already taken in one extra family—us! And I’m sure glad they did.

If they had already formed the compound before we got here, I don’t think we would ever have been allowed to stay. We didn’t bring any useful skills that we knew of.

It turned out I’m a good shooter—one of the best we’ve got—but even I didn’t know I would be. I’d never shot a real gun before I got here, so I was just as surprised as anyone when it turned out I was good at it.

So anyway, it seemed for awhile that I wouldn’t have anyone special. I mean, other than my family. Lexie had Blake— I was jealous, but I was trying to accept it. At least we were alive and well fed.

Then other families started to arrive.

But it was uncanny how none of them had teenagers, particularly of the male persuasion. Very disappointing. We had a few older couples, two more young families, and then…Jared arrived. He’s older than me—I think he’s upper twenties, though I haven’t worked up the nerve to ask him yet.

Today I had brought him lunch. We send out a call on the walkie-talkies when lunch is ready. Everyone is supposed to come to the house if they want to eat. Except the lookouts; they’re supposed to stay put and wait for someone to bring them their meals.

But Jared hadn’t come in like everyone else; I took a look outside and saw him at work so I grabbed a plate of grub and headed out. Good time to get his attention.

He glanced over at me, saw I was holding food, and nodded.

“Thanks.”

“No problem. You even have milk today.” I smiled. Most people were happy to get milk. The Martins’ one

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cow only gives about four gallons of milk a day and it goes fast. Some days no one gets milk except the toddlers, because Mrs. Martin uses it for cheese or butter. Today I’d had to hustle to get a cup of it for Jared. He didn’t seem to care.

bothered me at that moment was how disparate the situation was—these two old folks looked like the safe, kindly types. I felt so distressed at finding ourselves in front of a gun at their hands instead, that without knowing I was going to, I burst into tears.

“You can just leave it there.” He nodded towards a workbench. “I’ll bring in the dishes when I’m through.”

Oddly, it turned out to be the best thing I could have done. Martha hurriedly put down her weapon and came towards me, utterly transformed, with a look of sheer maternal concern.

“That’s okay. I’ll wait.” He glanced over at me again, I think he was surprised. I gave him a big smile. I wanted to make it very clear to Jared that I was interested in him. His gaze lingered on mine for a moment.

I think he got the idea.

Chapter Ten SARAH “They’re not after anything! They just wanted water,” the old man cried, as we looked down the barrel of Martha’s formidable gun.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my hammering heart. One thing after another! We can never relax or rest!

When will it end! What particularly

“You poor thing!” she cried, giving my brother a quelling look as though he were to blame for my condition.

Putting her arm around me, she led me forward down a hallway that led to a kitchen.

I felt something jarring loose inside me, ripping at the hardness I’d erected around myself in order to survive—in order to live the way we did, as scavengers and homeless outcasts.

There was something about having an older woman caring for me that went straight to my heart of hearts. I felt a wave of longing for my mother and fresh sobs came out of me, wracking my body like a dry cough. This is it, I thought. I’m finally losing my mind!

I was ashamed, and wouldn’t meet Richard’s gaze even after Martha shooed me to the table, saying, “You sit right here while I get you some tea!” She glanced at Richard, who had followed us, along with the man, who I figured was her husband. “Oh, you too, sit down! Both of you take your coats off. We’ve a good hot stove going in here, as you can see.”

And they did. It was an amazing sight, too! The stove looked like a relic from an earlier century. In fact, as Martha went around lighting oil lamps, I saw the whole kitchen looked like a scene from another era. I dried my eyes (not very wet, after all. I was always somewhat dehydrated) sniffed, and finally got hold of myself.

We were in a large, old-fashioned room, not a granite counter-top or tiled floor in sight. The black stove was antique and immense, wider than tall, and with a gigantic hood above it which was almost as large as the stove itself.

A black kettle graced the broad stovetop, roomy enough to hold numerous pots. The front had two oven doors with ornate steel handles, some lower compartments (which I realized afterwards were for loading fuel) and an additional black shelf over it, holding pottery, utensils and baking implements.

As if that wasn’t enough, to the right of our table against a wall was a smaller stove, with a second kettle upon it, and a lidded black enamel pot. The ironwork—or maybe it was steel--was more ornate than on the large stove. It was really pretty; with clawed steel feet, and two oven doors, both of which had ornate metalwork décor on them and a long, metal handle for opening.

Past the stove was a worktable; and then, against an adjacent wall, a long, steel double sink filled with soaking clothes. Between the sink and the stove stood a wooden drying rack, upon which hung some wet towels. Copper pans and metal pots of all sizes hung from pegged shelves on the walls.

Pitchers and canisters and such lined the shelves. I found myself staring.

When I finally looked back at Martha, she smiled at me, enjoying my amazement.

Richard let out a low whistle. “This is… really something,” he said. I met his eyes and smiled.

The old man pulled out a chair and sat across from us. “That it is,” he said, glancing around the room with pride in his eyes. “Martha and I used to own an antique shop. We collected lots of things over the years. Our plan was to open a museum shop, with a working old-fashioned kitchen. But we liked the

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older things so much we started designing our own kitchen to use them.

Only the Man upstairs,” he said, chuckling, and looking at his wife, “could have known we’d need this stuff to survive!”

I found it amazing that this warm, sweet old man was the same person who had surveyed us with such hostility and suspicion only minutes earlier.

“The good Lord takes care of His own,” added Martha, confidently.

Richard blanched; if I knew my brother, he wanted to disagree with Martha just then, but didn’t dare insult our hosts. I was glad he didn’t. I wanted to stay on their good side. Richard shook his head, and I silently pleaded with him with my eyes, afraid he’d aggravate them. But all he said was, “How do you manage to keep looters away? I know you have firearms, but there’s just the two of you…”

“We have a son with a wife and children,” said Martha. “When they get here, they’ll help us protect the place.”

The man nodded.

“But you’ve survived this long without them; how?”

Martha and her husband exchanged a look. “Oh, may as well tell them,” she gushed, while taking a steaming kettle and beginning to fill the tea cups sitting before us. She used a potholder to manage the hot handle. I watched, almost mesmerized. It was such an ordinary action—pouring tea. But I felt suddenly outside of myself, like this couldn’t be real. It was too ordinary. It felt incredible, like a picture in a storybook. But the hot steam caressed my cold face, and I smelled the tea. You may think tea has no aroma when it’s poured—it does. To a starving girl, it smells just about like heaven.

The old man sat forward, clasping his hands together on the table. A bit sheepishly he admitted, “The yard is dotted with mines. They’re homemade, mind you—a trick I learned in the war.

But they work.”

“Boy, howdy, do they work!” chimed in Martha, nodding. She now had a tray with cream and sugar on it—and cookies—which she set down before us. Looking at the tray, I had the same sense of unreality. It threw our recent existence into such stark relief—the desperation, the dirt, the anguish—and now this ordinary tea tray! For a few

moments I could only stare, doing my utmost not to burst into tears again.

Richard had no such compunction and grabbed two cookies. I could tell he wanted to wolf them down but forced himself to be polite.

I looked up to see Martha watching my face, and quickly tried to gain control of my features. She reached out an arm and softly patted my hand. “It’s okay,” she said, softly. “You eat all you want.”

“Martha, they don’t want cookies,” the old man said, although Richard’s hand was already out for seconds. “Whip us all up some breakfast! Some good eggs and bacon!”

Richard and I stared at each other. I think we both felt we’d died and gone to heaven. My only worry was, how long would they let us stay?

©2018 Linore Rose Burkard

CONTINUED NEXT MONTH! In a hurry to read the rest? Buy RESILIENCE now at http://amzn.to/ 1X112d6

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Devotional: Considering Ants and Lilies

By Donna Miller, PREPARE Magazine f you are reading this Devotion, and you are not a Christian, please do not feel offended. Please know that everything in this magazine is designed to help everyone prepare. The devotionals have a spiritual take on this journey and at times, they are overtly Christian and at other times they are not. This one will be. You can stop right here if you wish to. Don't blame the author if you choose to read on. Or you can read on and see what your fellow preppers who are Christians face and perhaps be more equipped to support them or understand their how their Faith and Prepping work together.

If you are a Christian and consider yourself involved in preparedness, you are bound to have had or will soon have the not-so-enjoyable debate with others (Christians and those who are not) about your belief that preparedness is a prudent lifestyle. The arguments for or against this can become so very volatile that you risk alienating fellow Christians or worse, hurting your testimony of Faith to someone who needs to come to know the Messiah. This debate often includes the argument that your faith is not strong enough or why would a Loving God allow the horrible things for which you are preparing to occur. No matter what strategy of attack is used on either your faith or your preparedness plans, it may seem like one, the other, or both begin to waiver while under fire. Please, let me encourage you...they are not at odds with one another, and you probably already believe that.

Your Faith in God and Preparedness actually should strengthen each other.

The Ants.

The Work & Stewardship.

“Consider the ant, you sluggard, Observe her ways and be wise, which, having no chief, officer or ruler, prepares her food in the summer and gathers her provision in the harvest.”

Proverbs 6:6-8 Scripture does indeed support hard work and forethought helps to support the efforts of prepping.

The above verse is just the beginning. Prov 28:19 and Prov 20:4 speak to the prudence of being prepared. Just in case you thought this was only an Old Testament topic, Matthew 24 is The Prepper's Chapter to be sure! Be ready to share the Gospel because His Return draws near! How better to share the Bread of Life than by being prepared to share edible bread from your preps to those in need!

But, something we often hear or use is the phrase “God helps those who help themselves”. This is not at all a scripture verse, but rather a quote of Benjamin Franklin from the Poor Richard's Almanac. It is often misquoted as if it is in the Bible (much like quoting 'Cleanliness is next to Godliness' which was merely a title of one of John Wesley's sermons in 1778, and not in the Bible at all. But I digress).

Quoting non-scripture as if it is scripture is one of the surest ways to derail a Faith-based reasoning.

So many other verses in the Bible rub directly 44

against the above misquote. For example, Romans 5:6-8; Proverbs 28:26 and Jeremiah 17:5.

Misquoted ideals and efforts tend to place our preparedness plans in the same line as 'good works' alone without faith. Sure, they are good but they are not what will save you (both physically speaking and spiritually speaking). However, putting all our faith into our works or our preps is the wrong spiritual attitude. You nor I are omniscient.

save ourselves and we have a pride that dethrones the true King of the Universe and Sustainer of Life, then we are far off course. The verses above are the balance to our efforts.

The Lilies.

The Heart & Attitude.

There are times that I must consider the ant. I am weary or financially strapped or feel like being complacent or tired of looking like Noah before it rained but I consider the ant because prepping requires stewardship and work. I want to be a ready vessel for whatever God calls me to do in an uncertain future.

Why you do what you do is truly only seen by God. If you are prepping out of fear or lack of faith, He knows...but it also shows. There are frequent times in this journey that it is good to do a heart (or attitude) checkup. That is where all of Matthew 6 comes to set the spirit behind your prepping straight. Let's pay special attention to Matthew 6:19-34

There are times that I must consider the lilies. I have accomplished so much. I see where we are ready, know my storehouse is stocked, we are more skilled than last year, I can share what I've learned with others but I must consider the lilies because my preps are not where my heart and attitude take refuge. My help comes from the Lord. I want to be a ready vessel for whatever God calls me to do in an uncertain future.

”Consider the lilies of the field and how they grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these” Matthew 6: 28b-29

Ask a fellow prepper or even yourself: “Are you prepared for EVERYTHING?” If the answer is honest, it will be “Nope!” Then why are you prepping? Once you answer that question, for yourself you will know if you need an attitude adjustment. If we prepare out of fear, we lose trust in the One Who holds the Future. If we think we have to prepare to earn favor or protection, we are misguided in what that stewardship is supposed to be. If we are preparing because we think we can

PRAYER: Gracious, Omnipotent God – Creator of the Universe, Help me to act and work justly as Your good steward. Help me to love and show mercy to myself and others who don't understand or falter. Help me to walk humbly with You, knowing YOU Sustain me far better than any of my works or plans!

Amen

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Our Contributors...

Cat Ellis

Christopher Nyerges

Donna Miller

is an herbalist, massage therapist, midwifery student, and urban homesteader from New England. She keeps bees, loves gardening and canning, and practice time at the range. Cat teaches herbal skills on her website, Herbal Prepper.com and through her online radio show, Herbal Prepper Live. Cat is the author of two books, Prepper’s Natural Medicine and Prepping for a Pandemic, and is also a member of the American Herbalists Guild.

is the author of 17 books on self-reliance and survival including: How to Survive Anywhere and Guide to Wild Foods and Useful Plants and many other Titles available on Amazon. He has been teaching wild food and self-reliance classes since 1974 via School of Self-Reliance. He conducts a weekly self-reliance podcast, weekly field trips, and has appeared on Fox TV as “Natureman,” on National Geographic's “Doomsday Preppers,” and other TV shows. Contact: Box 41834, Eagle Rock, CA 90041.

is a teacher, author, sought-after speaker and trainer. She has been both a guest and host on internet and broadcast radio talk-shows and in television interviews. She enjoys teaching online and local classes & ladies retreats. Donna is happily married and has three adult children, with one daughter-in-law and one son-in-law. She and her husband (Joseph) are the founders PREPARE Magazine among other leading entities in the current Preparedness movement.

Heather Harris

Joe Alton, M.D.

Johnny Jacks

and her family live in Northern Indiana, where they spend their time farming their 1/4 acre homestead by raising ducks, chickens, turkeys, quail, fiber rabbits and a garden. Join them over at The Homesteading Hippy ( http:// thehomesteadinghippy.com/ ) and on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TheHomesteadHippy/ ) to see all their foraging adventures.

(aka: Dr. Bones) is a member of Mensa, collects 19th century medical books to gain insight on offgrid medical strategies. He is the co-author, along with Amy Alton, A.R.N.P. (aka Nurse Amy), of the #1 Amazon Bestseller in Survival Skills “the Survival Medicine Handbook". The opinions voiced by Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy are for postapocalyptic settings only; in normal times, seek modern and standard medical care from qualified professionals.

is well qualified in the prepper arena. He lived a selfreliant lifestyle as a sharecropper’s son, served fifteen years of a twenty-two-year military career in Special Forces as a guerrilla fighter, and twenty-five years in significant national security and emergency preparedness positions with the federal government. His books: Absolute Anarchy, Interactive Study Guide to Surviving the Coming Collapse and a four-book fiction series, beginning with Islam Rising, and upcoming Patriots and Infidels are available on Amazon

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Our Contributors...

Linore Rose Burkard

Karen Pagan

Sheri Ann Richerson

Linore Rose Burkard's first published books were historical romance with Harvest House Publishers.

She now writes YA/Suspense as L.R.Burkard.

PULSE is the first in a three book series. A homeschooling mom of five, Linore grew up in NYC. She now lives with her family in Ohio, which, she notes, is a much better place to be in case of a PULSE really happening! To see L.R. Burkard's romance novels, visit her "alter-ego" website at: http://www.LinoreBurkard.com

is the author for http://www.PreparedBee.com/. She has been working with writing for over three years. She spends most of her off-work time reading books, practicing dance, and catching up with the new TV shows she’s been missing.

is a nationally acclaimed best-selling author of numerous books. Nineteen of her books have made it to #1, including: The Complete Idiot's Guide To Year-Round Gardening. Complete Idiot’s Guide To Seed Saving & Starting, 101 Self-Sufficiency Gardening Tips & more! All found on Amazon. She is a self-sufficient homesteader who lives on a 2 ½ acre farm where she saves a wide variety of seed from her organic garden. Connect with her also here: https://www.exoticgardening.com &

http://www.sheriannricherson.com

Steve Honkus is the owner of OffGrid48°, an alternative energy consulting company focusing on the use of wood gasification. OffGrid48° provides consultation services, classes, workshops and even complete wood gas builds to those who are looking for a more self sufficient and independent lifestyle. Steve owns an off-grid property in the remote area of northern Idaho that he has designed and built much of the infrastructure himself and routinely shares his growing knowledge and own off grid experiences.

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