Continue reading »]]> by jtcomega

If law abiding citizens don’t arm themselves with the tools and knowledge to defend themselves, their families, and their friends, they leave themselves vulnerable to those who are armed and will gladly do them harm.

There is much discussion lately about what gun to buy for self-defense. Most people want “one stop shot” capability, but often don’t know what it takes to accomplish that feat. Those of us who are trained well can comfortably make a “one shot stop” with a .22 caliber bullet. Of course this is without the surge of adrenaline and the chaos involved in any situation that would require us to use a firearm in self-defense . Others insist that they must have a .45 ACP. To fully understand the implications of each round and figure out which one suits your needs best, you have to have a basic understanding of the rounds themselves.

There is a modest selection of calibers to choose from when looking at a self-defense handgun. You can start as small as the .22 and go as high as the .50. For the purposes of this discussion we will stick with the calibers between .22 and .45 as the handguns chambered for these rounds can be reasonably concealed. I will be addressing only the most popular calibers for those of you who know there are a few missing from the following very basic descriptions.
The .22 LR (or Long Rifle) is a rim fired round used most often in target practice, plinking, and small game hunting. The round causes very little recoil and is often used to teach shooting fundamentals. The round is .22 inches in diameter. It is very small. It has been used quite successfully in self -defense situations. The round tends to penetrate two legged targets and deflect off of bones and create nasty wounds. To those who say it is too small, I say, it would not be my choice for primary carry, but I would not hesitate to use one if it was handy and I needed to defend myself.

The next round I will cover is the center fired .38 caliber series. I say “series” because for our intents and purposes, the .38 caliber bullet is used in the .380, 38, 9mm, 357 special, and .357 sig cartridges. For purists, I know you will talk about the difference in case and bullet sizes among these calibers, but the bullets are all the same basic size. The difference lies in the velocities these cases are able to create for the different rounds. A .380 is the slowest of these calibers and is quite popular among todays concealed carry license holders. This is because the guns can be made in the “micro” size and they fit neatly in a pocket making them ideal for personal protection. The rounds cause a small amount of recoil which is easily managed by even the smallest hands. Because the casing for these rounds is so small, not much powder propels the round to the target, making it the slowest of the rounds in this series.
The .38 is generally a revolver (or wheel gun) cartridge. It has a much higher velocity than the .380 and therefore creates more damage in two legged targets. It has long been used by wheel gun enthusiasts for personal carry and has an impressive track record for self- defense shootings. The recoil created by this round is moderate and very manageable.

The 9mm is a popular round and many autoloaders can be found in this chambering. The round is basically the same as a 38, but cased differently for auto loaders. It can be found easily and generally cheaply. It is a medium velocity round and due to its size many compact autoloaders can carry a large quantity of them in their magazine. In most handguns this round creates moderate recoil which is easily managed.

The .357 magnum and the .357 sig are both high velocity rounds. The magnum is most often found in wheel guns while the sig is made for autoloaders. The .357 sig was created in an effort to replicate the performance of the .357 magnum in an autoloader. Because of the high velocity of these rounds, targets of the two legged variety often have devastating wounds. The recoil generated by each of these rounds is sharp and requires practice to control for accurate consecutive shots which may be required in self-defense situations. As with any firearm, the heavier the gun, the lighter the recoil. This means that the popular sub-compact sized pistols chambered in .357 sig will be lighter and have heavier recoil. If you acquire one, practice well and often!
The .40 caliber round is .40 inch in diameter. Because of the diameter, it is a larger heavier bullet that travels at a medium to high velocity. It is ideal for personal defense due to its speed and ability to penetrate heavy clothing and still penetrate deeply into a target. Again, the amount of felt recoil varies on the size of the gun.)

The .45 caliber is the “go to” caliber for many who carry concealed. This round has a medium velocity and hits hard. It was made popular by soldiers in World War Two who swore by its power to stop the enemy. Because it is a slower, heavier bullet, it works much like train – the bullet will penetrate and smash and create large wound tracks in targets. The handguns chambered for the .45 are often heavier and therefore decrease the amount of recoil to a very manageable level. That being said, there are several manufacturers that are marketing sub-compact models (some of which are lightweight polymer) which have sharp recoil. Practice, practice, practice. I prefer the .45 but I also practice well and often.

The ultimate goal when firing a weapon in self- defense is to persuade an attacker to stop attacking. The truth is that all of these calibers are capable of making an attacker refocus his or her attention. The difference lies in how many shots on target it will take to either re-focus that attention, or incapacitate your attacker. With practice, no one will deny the “stopping “power and efficiency of larger caliber rounds. Practice will increase your accuracy and shot placement is the king in any self -defense situation involving firearms. If you have small hands and recoil is an issue for you, a smaller caliber will suit you better than a larger one. You may just have to make your gun sound like a jackhammer before your assailant is thwarted. At any rate, the first rule of a gun fight is to have a gun. The gun you will carry all the time is better than the one you left at home because it was too heavy and too bulky for what you were wearing. Pick your poison and practice with it until putting well placed rounds where you intend them to go no longer surprises you…. Then practice a lot more!

As always, feel free to share your newsletter with your friends, or better yet, direct them to WWW.LearnHowToShootGuns.com so that they can get their own free newsletter. It might just save their life !!!!
Stay Safe,
Josh

Continue reading »]]> by kappydell

If you are just starting with dehydrating it can be daunting. Finding out that most fresh foods still needed to be treated and blanched before drying makes dehydration sound almost as complicated as freezing. I was looking for easy dehydration when I got started. After some early successes, I gained enough confidence to move into processing fresh foods requiring more handling. Here are some exquisitely simple dehydration recipes for beginners.

You can dehydrate all your frozen fruits and vegetables from the grocery store, saving room in your freezer. They have already been prepped. Just open the bag and throw them on the tray frozen. This includes thick French fries and hash browns.
This was great news to me. I always keep an eye out for good sales on frozen produce.
I’m particularly fond of mixed vegetable blends for soups and casseroles. Fruits should be dried separately, and then combined if you want a fruit blend.
Dry pre-frozen fruit and vegetables at 120 degrees F, 8-10 hours for frozen vegetables, 12-15 hours for potatoes, and 12-15 hours for sliced fruits. You want crispy-dry.

Fruit Leathers can be made from canned or frozen fruits.
But sugar crystallizes in fruit leathers during long storage, so eat sugar sweetened leathers within about 1 month. Unsweetened fruits, or those sweetened with honey will store longer. Frankly, I never made a fruit leather that needed sugar as the fruit flavors intensify when dried. Anything tart mellows when blended with applesauce.

Drain the fruit, saving the liquid. Use about 1 pint fruit for each 13 x 15 inch leather. Puree fruit until smooth. If very thick, add liquid. (You want applesauce texture.) Add 2 tsp lemon juice or 1/8 tsp ascorbic acid for each 2 cups of light colored fruit puree to prevent darkening. You can blend flavors if you do not have enough of one kind. Applesauce can be dried alone or added to any puree and makes a wonderfully cheap extender. It decreases tartness and makes the leathers smoother and more pliable.

Line your trays with plastic wrap or gallon zip-lock bags opened up. Be sure the print faces away from the leather or you will find it ‘decorates’ the leather. Use duct tape to tape it so it does not fall off in the dehydrator.

Pour the puree evenly, back and forth, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick on a drying tray. Don’t get too close to the edge. Larger leathers take longer to dry.
Dry at 140 degrees F for 6-8 hours in a dehydrator, up to 18 hours in an oven. They dry from the outside in, so to test, touch the center of the leather. If there is no indentation, and the leather is slightly tacky but pulls up easily from the plastic, it is done. While warm, peel and roll. Let cool, and then re-wrap the rolls in plastic. Rolls keep up to 2 months at room temperature; for storage to 1 year, place tightly wrapped rolls in the freezer.
Those food storage pros from the LDS use this technique to ‘use up’ canned fruits when it is their turn in rotation.

A few kinds of fresh produce need no blanching or pre-treatment. Just slice or dice to 1/4 inch size and spread them on the trays. Dehydrate at 120 degrees until crispy.
This works for sweet or hot peppers, collard greens, spinach, mushrooms, onions and garlic. Leave the hot peppers whole, though, for ease of processing. If you cut them or chop them wear rubber gloves, the juice is hot-hot-hot! Wash everything from knife, to chopping board, to dehydrating tray, to your hands very, very well when you are done. And DON’T TOUCH YOUR EYES! All that is more complicated than I want to get, so I dry them whole then put them into a jar. It makes a nice gift for the fire eaters in my family.

Thin skinned hot peppers are easily dried on a string, in the old way. Tie a wood match stick at the end, then string on as many peppers as you want, using a needle and a stout string (I use carpet thread). Make a loop and the top and hang up in a shady, airy spot. They will dry slowly and look sharp. Colors eventually fade after a year, but the hotness remains so be warned. If you do multiple colors they are quite decorative. Just remove peppers as you use them. Leather britches beans can also be strung the same way, but in my humid climate they mold before they are dry enough to store. (But in the dry southwest, they dry well on a string.)

Oranges, lemons and limes can just be sliced thin and placed flat on the trays. (They are pretty floated in a pot of hot tea or lemonade.) Herb leaves need no pretreatment, just wash, spread on trays and dry. Herb cuttings are dried at a very low temperature to preserve their volatile oils. Put entire sprigs on a dehydrator tray and dry at 90 degrees F until they are shatteringly crisp. Then run the stems between your thumb and forefinger to remove the leaves, which are put in airtight storage containers. Crush the leaves to use the herbs. No herb garden? Dry celery leaves, thinly sliced green onion stems, clean carrot peels, sprigs of store bought parsley, and chopped onions until dry. They can be crushed to add flavor to soups and sauces. One of my favorite blends is 1 part each dried parsley, dried minced onions, and dried celery leaves.

Some especially frugal folks wash their potatoes before peeling them, and then dehydrate the skins. Crushed to a powder, potato peels, carrot peels, celery leaves, onion peels, parsley and maybe a few greens make a wonderful vegetable soup base you can adapt to your own personal tastes. This powder can pack a nutritional punch depending on what you choose to put in it. Flavored yogurt plops can be dried into a tasty taffy-like treat. And sourdough starter can also be dried until crispy, and then crushed to a powder for storage.

So if you are just getting started with dehydrating, do not be intimidated by long books of complicated directions. Start slow and easy, and work your way into things and you will soon be dehydrating things like chili, salsa, and pumpkin pie leather like a professional!

Continue reading »]]> Hello Fellow Nutmeggers!!!  I have to Appologize for the Lack of Posting here..  I am not a Good Blogger..

I do Post on the APN forums and on the CT forum.. 

Great Things are stirring on the forums , we are growing in Numbers and people are seriously seeking to learn and grow..  I’m here to tell you about some Plant ID hikes I have Planned starting in Late March.. Please Go to the CT forum and read about this in the meet-ups area.. 

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Continue reading »]]> http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/america-2011
What kind of place is America in 2011? Sadly, it is one giant sea of conformity. If you traveled across the United States 40 or 50 years ago, you would encounter a vast array of cultures and you would meet a wonderful mix of people. But today America is slowly but surely becoming standardized. It seems like wherever you go you will find a Wal-Mart and a McDonald’s. Thanks to Hollywood and the mass media, people all over the country dress the same and look the same and talk the same. Sure there are various subcultures out there, but even many of those subcultures are virtually the same on one coast as they are on the other. The things that gave flavor to our local communities are dying off in favor of greater conformity and greater profit. Today, most retail stores and most restaurants are corporate owned. Most small businesses that attempt to go up against the Wal-Marts, the Targets, the Burger Kings or the Home Depots of the world have already been stomped out of existence or are in the process of being stomped out of existence. Eventually, if we are not careful, corporate conformity is going to dominate everything from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Some may view this as “progress”, but is this really what the American Dream is supposed to be all about? Is this really the “America” that we want to pass down to future generations?

Our society has become so homogenized that we don’t really question it anymore. We all watch American Idol, we all buy the same boring looking cars we see advertised on television and we all buy the same mass-produced corporate products down at Costco.

For many Americans, doing something “exotic” means going out to Applebee’s on Friday night.

If you are under 40 years of age and you have never been out of the country you should really make it a point to do that. Today there are millions upon millions of young Americans that have no idea what “another culture” even looks like. All they know is how America does things and they have been taught that the American way of doing things is always the best.

Sadly, sometimes we think our way is so superior that it should be forced upon the rest of the world.

When this nation was founded, our founding fathers were extremely suspicious of large concentrations of power. Corporations did not dominate early America. Instead, millions of individuals and small businesses worked together to make this country great. Back in those days a “family store” could be started without fear that a corporate giant like Wal-Mart would come waltzing in to crush it.

When Wal-Marts started to spread across the United States, almost everyone loved them. The prices were lower, the selection was much greater and Wal-Mart brought jobs to the community.

When I would visit family or friends they would always excitedly talk about the new Wal-Mart that was going up somewhere nearby. They saw Wal-Mart as a sign of progress and something that would make their lives better.

Unfortunately, we now know that all of that corporate conformity comes at a very high price.

When Wal-Mart moves into a community, often dozens of local businesses can’t compete and are forced to close.

Wal-Mart does bring jobs, but they are really crappy jobs. A very, very small percentage of Wal-Mart jobs will even come close to enabling someone to support a family.

But Wal-Mart is making a ton of money. So where does all of that money go?

It goes out of the local community and into the pockets of the Wal-Mart shareholders.

Wal-Mart is like a giant vacuum cleaner. It sucks the wealth out of our local communities and it transfers it into the hands of the very wealthy.

But don’t all of the products sold at Wal-Mart support American businesses and American jobs?

No.

Just go into a Wal-Mart some time and start picking up products. You will notice that the vast majority of them are made outside of the United States.

Americans love to buy stuff made in China. And the big corporations love that because they are more than happy to pay slave labor wages to workers in places like China and India.

But I don’t want to just pick on Wal-Mart. The vast majority of our retail establishments are now owned by huge corporations. They all crush small businesses and they all suck wealth out of our local communities.

Most of us have enjoyed the “low, low prices” that the mega-corporations have brought in, but as inflation has gone up faster than our wages, large numbers of Americans have had to go into debt in order to enjoy all of these cheap products.

Today, what the average American family owes is equivalent to 136% of what an average American family makes each year.

We have a national addiction to debt. To the corporations and the banks we are viewed as “consumers” and the goal is to drain as much money out of us as possible. They want us to be completely dependent on them so that we will be snared in the trap of “consumerism” forever.

The fact that corporations have become so dominant in our society is a huge reason why wealth has become so concentrated at the top. Today, the bottom 50 percent of all Americans own just 2.5% of the wealth. In a true capitalist society this would not happen because individuals and small businesses would be able to compete fairly in the marketplace and would be thriving.

But unfortunately, our system greatly favors giant corporations today. In fact, what we have in our country today is much more aptly called “corporatism” rather than “capitalism”. The vast majority of Americans work for either a giant corporation or for the government. We even teach our children that they should go to college and study hard so that they can “get a job” rather than telling them that they should endeavor to “start a business” someday.

If nothing changes, wealth and power will continue to become even more concentrated in the hands of the few. Meanwhile, America will just continue to become a giant sea of corporate conformity and a very boring place.

“America 2011″ is not nearly as interesting as America was 50 years ago. We are becoming defined by our greedy corporate overlords. We just blindly conform and we let others do our thinking for us.

If our founding fathers could see us today, they would be absolutely horrified.

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