preparedness

How to Build a Fire Even If The Wood Is Wet

Picture this: You’ve gone camping for the weekend, but an unexpected storm has blown into the area. The sun is going down, the temperature is dropping, and now it’s raining. Even worse: You haven’t built a fire.

Meanwhile, your family is sitting in a nearby tent and starting to get very cold. You need to generate some heat fast, and you need to do it even though your firewood is wet and rain is drizzling. Can it be done? Absolutely!

Want to save this post for later? Click Here to Pin It on Pinterest!

And no, I’m not talking about dumping a bottle of lighter fluid on your wood. Knowing how to build a fire even if the wood is wet is a very valuable survival skill, so you should look at a rainstorm as an opportunity to practice your skills.

Now obviously, you’ll need some tools to do this. You’re not going to start a fire with a bow drill in the rain. Here are some of the tools I use for my fires.

Pin It — The tools I use for my fires. I may add a small folding knife but it’s not always necessary.

The great thing about fire is the principles of lighting it never change. You still need the same basic three things you have always needed:

1. Oxygen

Too much = strong winds
Too little = smothering a fire

2. Heat Source

Matches
Lighter
Metal match
Flint and steel

3. Fuel

Tinder
Kindling
Fuel larger than tinder and kindling

Let’s continue with our scenario of trying to start a fire in the forest while it’s raining. Let us also assume we have the tools we will need to obtain wood and prepare it: axe, saw, machete, hatchet, fixed blade knife, etc.

Step 1

First, you need to look for a standing tree–ones on the ground will be soaked all the way through.

Find a tree the size of your forearms if possible, but no larger than the size of your thigh. If you can find a tree the size of a soda can, then you can push this tree over and usually be able to stomp on it to break it into pieces.

After you fell this tree, split it up into 12-inch to 18-inch lengths. Make sure you have at least six to ten of these logs. You may notice the outer part of the wood is wet, but the inner core of the wood should be dry. This core is what will help you light your fire.

Step 2

Split that wood into kindling size pieces. That means split it into pieces approximately the size of your thumb and as small as your pinky. If you can get rid of the wet wood on the outside, do so.

As a rule, you want enough wood prepared to be able to hold the prepared bundle with two hands. Since you have wet wood, you will want two to three times as much as you would normally need.

NOTE: The extra five to fifteen minutes you take in preparing your wood will ensure your success; don’t rush the process. If you rush the process, you may end up not having enough tinder and kindling and you will have to start all over again.

Step 3

Preparing the tinder will also be extremely important. What I used to tell students was to prepare at a minimum, a golf ball sized bundle of tinder. When dealing with wet wood and under difficult circumstances, you will want a grapefruit size ball of tinder and two more to back it up.

My favorite tinder is cotton balls soaked with petroleum jelly. They are compact and work very well even under wet or windy conditions.

During the preparation phase, it is best to put your tinder in a plastic bag if you have it. At the least, ensure your tinder is covered or protected from the elements as best as humanly possible.

Your TINDER and KINDLING preparation is the vital part of getting this fire going. If you accomplish these two steps properly, your fire is almost guaranteed to become a blaze that will help you keep warm.

If you use three logs to prepare the tinder and kindling, still take the time to split the rest of your wood into at least quarter sized pieces of the original sized log.

Once the kindling is burning and establishing a coal bed, the larger pieces can be added. With enough kindling, even the wet larger pieces of wood will begin to dry out and eventually burn.

The main reason behind preparing three times as much as you normally need is so you can add more of your prepared tinder and kindling in case your fire begins to die out. This will ensure your fire is a success.

All these skills sound very easy to do when you read it on a screen. Putting these skills into practice under difficult conditions is what will make you a “firegod”. Anyone can light a fire in the summer when it’s dry. Doing the same when the rain or snow is blowing while temperatures are in the 30’s or below freezing is a real challenge.

A challenge that you must experience over and over to see how you need to change the equipment you have and how to adapt your normal fire making techniques. Do these 10 times and you will be very experienced, do it 100 times in every possible condition and you will be an expert!

Get out there and practice because winter is always coming.

Like this post? Don’t forget to Pin It on Pinterest!

This article first appeared on urbansurvivalsite.com See it here

preparedness

4 No Cook Meals For Surviving The Pandemic And Food Supply Shortages

When it comes to your food supply, you just can’t risk not having enough. These no cook meals will be a great addition to your food supply planning. Check out the recipes below!

No Cook Meals to Help You Through the Pandemic

As of the writing of this article, there are 20 meat processing plants that have been shut down due to COVID-19 infections. We have been worrying about these types of effects on our food supply for months now, and this is the first real sign of how infections can affect the food supply.

When you walk into a supermarket, you might not see all the choices you had in the past. An empty meat case is a humbling thing for your eyes to fall upon. It’s the shocking realization that the seemingly infinite supply of chickens, pigs, and cows that are butchered for us has begun to run dry!

To deal with this issue, we are going to present four no cook meals that will help you create dinners at home that will feed your family without worrying so much about what’s available, or unavailable, in the meat case.

1. Smashed White Bean, Avocado and Salted Pork Sandwiches

Smashed White Bean, Avocado and Salted Pork Sandwiches | No Cook Meals for Surviving the Pandemic and Food Supply Shortages

As preppers we get beans. There are a bunch of ways to use beans and this a great example of how you can pack a sandwich with great nutrition and protein.

Serving: Makes 4 sandwiches

Ingredients:

Can of White Beans
Olive Oil
1 Avocado
8 Slices of Whole Grain Bread
8 Slices of Salted Pork (Prosciutto, Ham, Virginia Ham)

Instructions:

Begin by draining your beans in a colander then smashing them up in a bowl add a few glugs of olive oil, salt, pepper. This little mix is delicious. If you add some minced rosemary, you can even turn this into a delicious dip.
Pit your avocado and cut it in half and then quarters lengthwise. Leave the skin on.
Lay the bread out on a clean work surface for assembling the sandwiches.
Spread your mashed bean mix onto one side of the bread.
Peel your avocados and slice 1 quarter for each sandwich. Spread slices over the bean spread.
Add a few slices of your pork to over the top of the avocado.
You can finish this sandwich with some lettuces, fresh sprouts, or just eat it as is.

2. Delicious Crab Salad

Canned crab is a protein option that will likely be around through much of this meat crisis. It does have to be kept in refrigeration, but it’s delicious and this chipotle mayo salad is great in the spring and summer.

Ingredients:

1 Can of Crab Meat
1 Bunch of Asparagus
Chipotle Mayo
1 Bunch of Green Onions
1 Bunch of Cilantro

Instructions:

Drain your crab in a colander and set it in the sink.
Slice your asparagus into 1-inch pieces. Throw them into a bowl.
Thinly slice your onions and your cilantro and throw that into the bowl, as well.
Gently toss in the crab meat.
Squirt on enough Chipotle mayo to coat everything and toss gently not to break up the crab meat.
Chill in the fridge and serve.

3. Simple Greek Salad

Simple Greek Salad | No Cook Meals for Surviving the Pandemic and Food Supply Shortages

The combination of simple summer ingredients makes for an incredible quick salad that you could add other proteins, too, if you wanted. These could be canned meats.

Ingredients:

2 Large Tomatoes
1 Cucumber
1 Red Onion
¼ Cup of Feta Cheese
A Few Sprigs of Fresh Mint
½ Cup of Kalamata Olives
Balsamic Dressing

Instructions:

I like to cut the tomatoes in large chunks and have them kind of be the main course in this salad. Peel and slice your cucumber in half. Remove the seeds and either dice or slice in half-moons.
Peel and slice your red onion in half. Julienne your, or thinly slice, your half onion.
Add all these ingredients to a bowl. Finely slice your mint.
Add your olives, crumbled feta, and mint to the bowl and add enough dressing to coat everything.
Stir it up and allow this to chill for at least an hour for the flavors to really blend.

4. Mediterranean Tuna Lettuce Wraps

Mediterranean Tuna Lettuce Wraps | No Cook Meals for Surviving the Pandemic and Food Supply Shortages

Using some similar ingredients and adding a protein like tuna, you can create some delicious lettuce wraps. The key to a good lettuce wrap is to have most of the items around the same size. So, consider that when you are preparing this dish.

Ingredients:

Iceberg or Butter Lettuce
Canned Artichokes
Canned roasted Red peppers
Fresh Cucumber
Feta Cheese
Minced Olives ¼ Cup
2 Cans of Tuna
Green Onions
Basil

Instructions:

Start by peeling all the full leaves from your lettuce. Set them on a plate either cover them with a wet paper towel or put them back into the fridge.
Dice the peppers, artichokes, and cucumbers into cubes. Go no larger than ½ an inch.
Thinly slice your green onions and basil and add them to a bowl with your diced vegetables. Add your loves to this bowl and mix them thoroughly.
Crumble your feta cheese over the mixture.
Drain your tuna thoroughly and then add that to the bowl, as well.
Gently toss this mixture. Try not to break up the tuna and the cheese too much but incorporate it thoroughly.
If you want, you can add some olive oil to the mix or a few glugs of balsamic vinegar. It’s also delicious just how it is.
Scoop a few tablespoons into a lettuce leaf, wrap it up and eat up!

These no cook meals should help lessen the stress you feel when thinking of what to feed your family. If you don’t have the specific ingredients, use your creativity, and use what you have. You might discover a new recipe while you’re at it!

What’s your favorite no cook meal recipe? Please share it with us in the comments section!

Up Next:

This Article Was First Found at survivallife.com Read The Original Article Here

preparedness

Billionaire Whistle Blower: Wuhan Coronavirus Death Toll Is Over 50,000

Exiled Chinese businessman Guo Wengui recently revealed leaks from Wuhan crematoriums. He claims based on the number of bodies their furnaces are burning, the death toll could be as high as 50,000.

A Chinese billionaire and whistleblower who lives in U.S. exile says Wuhan crematoriums have burned 50,000 coronavirus victims. | Credit: Chinatopix via AP

The official coronavirus death toll in China is a little over 800. But an exiled Chinese businessman says crematoriums are leaking the real figure.
A billionaire whistleblower alleges Wuhan has crematoriums working 24/7. He claims they’ve cremated some 50,000 coronavirus victims.
Guo Wengui is a Chinese billionaire living in exile in the United States.

The official coronavirus death toll is some 800 people in China. The current official death toll worldwide, outside of China, is 774. But a Chinese billionaire with a history of blowing the whistle on his former government says the real figure is much higher.

Exiled Chinese businessman Guo Wengui recently revealed leaks from Wuhan crematoriums. He claims based on the number of bodies their furnaces are burning, the death toll could be as high as 50,000. Wengui made the bombshell allegations in an interview with former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon.

Whistleblower: 1.5 Million Coronavirus Cases In China, 50,000 Coronavirus Deaths In Wuhan

He also claims to have inside information that there are 1.5 million confirmed coronavirus cases in China. Wengui is emphatic that these are not merely quarantined or “under observation” but confirmed cases of coronavirus infection:

China has struggled to contain the coronavirus. But it has also struggled to contain public outcry against censorship and tight control of information. Dr. Li Wenliang, who sounded the alarm about the disease, succumbed to an infection and died this week. The Chinese government arrested him for blowing the whistle.

Then officials tried to suppress news of his death. Afterwards, millions of Chinese citizens saw the hashtag #IWantFreedomOfSpeech on Mandarin language social media. But the Chinese government censored that too.

Are Wengui’s Crematorium Claims Credible?

Watch VICE’s 2017 profile on Guo Wengui. At the time, he published bombshell documents alleging corruption in the Chinese government. He got the attention of the media and reportedly the U.S. State Department.

(more…)