The Survival Buzz #158

Welcome to this week’s Survival Buzz with an update on my own preps and announcements from the Backdoor Survival blog.

This week my efforts turned to gardening.  I am a huge fan of fresh summer flowers but with such limited space, I hate to give up what little sun I have to flowers when fresh tomatoes beckon.  One thing I do have, however, are lots of hydrangeas. We had a sun break so I took the shears and deadheaded old blooms. It just felt good.

After that, I cleaned out a bunch of tomato pots and readied them for some fresh compost and a layer of additional soil.  I then lined them up in the location where they did best last year.  Fortunately, I took notes and hope to have a bountiful crop this year.

I also got my lettuce pots ready to go.  I have been reading about winter sowing and thought I would try my own version.  Instead of setting up a heat mat and grow lights in my office, I am going to sow lettuce seeds now.  From what I have read, the seeds will lay dormant until just the perfect sprouting time.  That is the theory anyway.  I will keep you posted.

The biggest news of all is that I popped for an AeroGarden.  It was a cinch to set up and according to the reviews, will produce a fantastic indoor bounty without the need for additional sunlight.  If this works,this will be a boon to apartment dwellers and those living in mobile homes and cabins. For starters, I “planted” the included herb pods.  If it all works out, I will get a second unit for tomatoes.  Why are you not surprised? As with my lettuce experiment, I will keep you posted.

Other preps this week included grinding 5 pounds of wheat manually.  This was a first for me and yes, there were a lot of laughs as I had to determine the best way to crank that handle without wearing myself out!  The end result was worth it because I made the best banana bread ever with my fresh flour.

Want the recipe?  Visit the article I posted on the WonderMill Grain Mill Wagon website: 100% Whole Wheat Banana Bread.

That about covers it for me this week.  Now for some announcements.

BACKDOOR SURVIVAL MAIL BAG & READER TIPS

Karen shared some essential oil tips:

I use Texas Cedarwood oil for a chronic cough (cause unknown, environmental allergy suspected). I apply it and Eucalyptus oil, both neat, to my supper respiratory area and they really help control my cough. I have not noticed any sleep benefits though.

Sometimes my ears get stopped up as well, and the Eucalyptus oil is applied around the outside of the ear (front and back) and down the Eustachian tube area. I learned from someone to put one drop on one finger and place it just barely inside the ear at the same time gently touching the one drop in a north, south, east, west position spreading the single drop of oil around.

It works very well for me and unstops those ears! I’ve read the Eucalyptus is a “hot” oil, so although I use it neat, others should be aware and perhaps use a carrier oil as well.

I made your all purpose salve and use it all the time. I just experienced shingles and after the scabs healed, tremendous itching began; the salve soothes the itch and keeps my skin soft.

I am always gratified to hear anecdotal stories about the DIY Miracle Salve.  Speaking of which, more and more I am using “Plain Ole’ Salve” to make small batch EO concoctions.  Possibly as soon as this upcoming week, I will be updating the original article with new information and rebranding it “BDS Simple Salve”.

Note: If you decide to make a purchase from Spark Naturals, remember to use the code BACKDOORSURVIVAL for an additional 10% off your order.

CURRENT GIVEAWAYS

Ready for some giveaways?  The following two giveaways are currently accepting entries.

Another Free Food Friday: Win a Legacy Foods Breakfast Bucket

BDS Book Festival 7: Preppers History and the Cultural Phenomenon + Giveaway

Remember, the deadline for all giveaway entries is 6:00 PM Pacific on Tuesdays.

In addition, all winners are notified by email and have 48 hours to claim their prize or an alternate will be selected.  Once selected, the names of winners are also displayed in the Rafflecopter on the original giveaway article.  This usually happens on the Friday following the end of the giveaway.

UPCOMING FREE EMERGENCY WATER WEBINAR

There is still time to register for the free emergency water webinar on March 4th.  I have already sent information out to subscribers but just in case this is the first you have heard about it, you can check it out and register using this link:  Emergency Water webinar with Glenn Meder & Gaye Levy.

Note that more than a few of you have indicated that the timing will not with your schedule.  At this moment I can not say whether or not there will be a replay but just in case there is, I suggest to register anyway so that you will be notified of any sort of follow-up.  I will also try to remember to post an update in the Survival Buzz next week.

NEWS FROM OUR SPONSORS

I am thrilled to let you know that Backdoor Survival has three new sponsors.  In spite of the trend of many websites to move to a subscription base (or worse, donations aka beg-ware), BDS will always be free for everyone.

Please visit these new sponsors and the others on the left sidebar.  They offer great products and have promised to deliver Backdoor Survival readers fantastic service!

THE FINAL WORD

Time continues to be the most precious commodity in my life.  I still have a ton of garden chores to attend to plus I want to get a batch of sourdough starter going so I can succeed at making yeast-free bread.

Something I take time for most mornings is finding free (at the moment) or very inexpensive eBook deals on Amazon.  These get posted on the Backdoor Survival Facebook page. Not to disparage other sites the post free eBooks, but I preview each book before I post it to ensure it is not a lousy cut and past job of 35 pages.  This move to quality over quantity has really paid off for me personally in that I now know those books in my electronic library are worthy of my time and attention down the road.

That about covers is for me this week.  What about you – what did you do to prep this week?

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!
Gaye

If you enjoyed this article, consider voting for me daily at Top Prepper Websites!  In addition, SUBSCRIBE to email updates  and receive a free, downloadable copy of my e-book The Emergency Food Buyer’s Guide.

Spotlight:  I am more than a little stoked by my new AeroGarden.  Of course the proof is in the bounty but I should know in a month of so.  Want to give it a try yourself?  Here is a link.

Miracle-Gro AeroGarden Ultra LED Indoor Garden with Gourmet Herb Seed Kit

Bargain Bin: The article I wrote on DIY cleaning turned out to be hugely popular all around the web. In cased you missed it, here is a link to the article Prepper Checklist: DIY Cleaning Supplies and to some of the products that I use to make my own cleaners.

Amazon Basics Microfiber Cleaning Cloth, (Pack of 36): No list of DIY cleaning supplies would be complete without these wonderful microfiber cloths. They will last you for years and will allow you to replace paper towels forever. Truly. I color code using blue for glass and windows and the other colors for everything else. I love these.

Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds Liquid Cleanser: I know that Dr. Bronner’s Magic Castile soaps have a cult-like following but I prefer the Sal Suds. I call my DIY cleaner “Sudsy Sal”.

Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps Pure-Castile Soap: Of all of the Dr. Bronner’s castile soaps, peppermint is my favorite.   I use it to make “Peppermint Magic”, an all purposed cleaner.

Soft ‘n Style 8 oz. Spray Bottles: I happen to like these smaller bottles and you can not beat the price for a set of 3. Likewise for these Pump Dispensers.

NOW Solutions Vegetable Glycerin: You will need this for your Dirt Cheap Soft Soap. I paid almost as much for only 4 ounces locally. This is a great price and 16 ounces will last forever.

Peppermint Essential Oil: I favor peppermint and tea tree (Melaleuca) essential oil in my cleaning supplies. But there are many types of essential oils to choose from. Take your pick. One thing you will find is that a little goes a long way.  The nice thing about essential oils from Spark Naturals  is that they are also excellent for therapeutic and healing use and well as for use in DIY cleaning supplies.  Just remember to use the code BACKDOORSURVIVAL at checkout to get 10% off your order.

Budget Essential Oils:  For the budget minded – and especially for use in cleaning supplies – consider NOW Foods Essential Oils.

Mobile Washer: This is hand operated washing machine. Like a plunger, it uses a technique of pushing and pulling the water through clothes to clean them well without wearing them out. It uses a minimum of water and less soap due to the agitation motion. Use in a bucket (5-gallon suggested), sink or tub. The best part is that it is only $14.95.

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Shop the Emergency Essentials Monthly Specials:  One of the best deals this month is the Farmers Market Vegetable Combo which is 52% off at $79.99.  Now that is a good deal.

Included are broccoli, green peas, tomato chunks, spinach, green beans, and zucchini pieces—fantastic in soups, stews, or even in a refreshing salad.

Shop the Emergency Essentials Monthly Specials

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Need something from Amazon (and who doesn’t)? I earn a small commission from purchases made when you begin your Amazon shopping experience here. You still get great Amazon service and the price is the same, no matter what.

Amazon has feature called Shop Amazon – Most Wished For Items. This is an easy tool for finding products that people are ‘wishing” for and in this way you know what the top products are.  All you need to do is select the category from the left hand side of the screen.

The Amazon Top Most Wished For and Best Selling Outdoor Items
Emergency Preparedness Items from Amazon.com

Help support Backdoor Survival. Purchases earn a small commission and for that I thank you!

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Are You Interested in Essential Oils?

Spark Naturals Oil of the Month Club
$15.99 – Shipping is Free

You may also purchase Peppermint directly – use code BACKDOORSURVIVAL for 10% off your order.

The Spark Naturals Oil of the Month Club is the best value out there –  all oils are 15ml bottles – shipped out to you once a month (on the same date you ordered the product). The price is $15.99 a month and includes shipping and tax. This is a great way to collect oils at a discounted price.  Be sure to use the code BACKDOORSURVIVAL at checkout.