(The Organic Prepper)—Do you keep manual kitchen tools on hand so that you can cook from scratch, even when the lights go out? Every prepper’s kitchen could potentially benefit from these items. Some of them are like the ones our great-grandmothers used, while others are more closely related to a manual version of modern items.

Here is a list of kitchen tools that you may want to add. I use several of these right now and have for years.

Chopper

I have this manual food chopper and use it regularly. It makes fast work of things like onions, garlic, and other veggies and saves me so much time during canning season.  I also use it when I need a lot of a particular chopped item, and when making fresh salsa. It’s an inexpensive addition to your prepper kitchen that can save you a lot of time chopping, dicing, and mincing.

Slicer

A good quality mandoline like this one can be incredibly useful when you need to slice things uniformly and thinly. I use mine particularly when I’m dehydrating produce to get thin, even slices.

Food mill

Canners will recognize a food mill. It helps you to get a nice, smooth puree for things like marinara or apple sauce. You can also use it for potatoes and even for baby food if you have a tiny human in the house. I find a food mill to be invaluable. I love this one because it’s ergonomic and easy to use.

Rotary beater

I still have and use my granny’s rotary beater. The listing calls this item an egg beater but it works well for baking too.  Any place you’d use a handheld mixer, you can also use a rotary beater. You’ll have to put some muscle behind it but this will help with batters, frostings, and mixing. Sure, you can use a fork but I find that a beater incorporates my ingredients much better.

Mortar and pestle

I find a mortar and pestle to be invaluable. It’s a great tool for macerating herbs and also for grinding dried ones. This has both culinary and medicinal uses – I use it when getting herbs ready for a decoction or an infusion, and also for getting the most flavor out of my kitchen spices before adding them to a dish. I’ve also used it to grind up medication to hide in my pets’ food, and you could do the same for humans who perhaps cannot swallow a pill. This is a really nice one that is a useful size.

Can opener

Do you have a manual can opener? Do you have two? (One is none and two is one!) This one is very high quality and is also easy to use. I’ve had a few that were really difficult to crank, but the Gorilla Grip is my absolute favorite. This is a place you really don’t want to cheap out, particularly since preppers often rely heavily on commercially canned goods.

Manual meat grinder

Here’s another place you don’t want to cheap out: with a meat grinder.  A meat grinder is a great way to make a tough, unpleasant cut of meat more palatable. I’ve tried the cheap $30-40 dollar ones and they break quickly, do a poor job, and are difficult to crank. This is the one that I swear by. It’s easy to assemble and disassemble for cleaning and works extremely well. Yes, it’s a bit of a physical workout, but not nearly as much as the cheap versions.

French press or pour-over coffee maker

If you want to be able to have your morning java long after the power goes out, there are two really simple options that only require your coffee and boiling water: the French press and the pour-over coffee maker. I’ve had this French press for years and always used it as my backup. But recently, my daughter got this pour-over coffee maker with a permanent filter. (I guess pour-over is trendy now?)

Both of these make a great cup of coffee, and really, it’s up to your personal preference what kind to get. French press is less filtered and makes a stronger, bolder cup of coffee, so if you prefer a blonde roast or a lighter cup, you’ll want the pour-over version. If you get your coffee in whole-bean form, you’ll also want a coffee grinder. I love the vintage look of this one: the reviews are great and the price is right.

Pasta maker

Do you like pasta? Do you have hundreds of pounds of wheat put aside? If the answer to these questions is yes, then you might benefit from a manual pasta maker. It’ll save you a lot of effort when you can run your dough through this instead of rolling it out and carefully slicing it to the right size. Not only does it work well for noodles, but you can also use it for making dumplings and pierogie.

Tortilla press

I got my cast iron tortilla press in Mexico, but this one is very, very similar. It’s the very best way to get a nice thin tortilla to fry up. It’s nearly impossible to roll the dough thin enough, and that’s extremely time-consuming. Tortillas are another great way to use your stash of grains, and they are quick to make with a press. Ladies who I knew when I lived in Mexico would spend a few hours every weekend making fresh tortillas for the week ahead. Once you’ve had homemade tortillas, you’ll never want to go back to storebought.

Wheat mill

Grinding wheat is hard work. In good times, I would always recommend using an electric wheat grinder because the job is time-consuming and takes a lot of muscle. But if the power is out and you want to work your way through those wheatberries, you need a proper grinder.

I’ve tried numerous different brands, and I always go back to the Wondermill Junior. There’s no other grinder around that does such a good job and really does so as efficiently as possible. Yes, there are cheaper ones, but you get what you pay for. If you stash grains in their whole form, you will need a grinder to make them ready for cooking. You can grind basically any grain with this device, and it also includes an auger to make masa and nut butter.

If the Wondermill is too spendy, this is the next best choice.

What are some manual kitchen tools you recommend?

Do you have manual tools for your kitchen? Do you have the ones listed here? Are there others you’d recommend? And do you use them now or are you saving them for power outage situations?

Leave your thoughts about this article on Late Prepper Substack.

About Daisy

Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, adventure-seeking, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites.  1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty; 2)  The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived; and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. Her work is widely republished across alternative media and she has appeared in many interviews.

Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 12 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at SelfRelianceand Survival.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.

The thing to remember is that there is a lot more to prepping than just feverishly filling mylar bags with food or stacking ammo to the ceiling. You need to think outside of the consumer mindset.

How to prep without spending a lot of money

Prepping on a dime is something I got good at by necessity. If you want to learn more, check out my paperback book How to Prep When You’re Broke. I know that it feels like prepping is a costly endeavor but there are so many things we can do and learn without spending money. You can’t necessarily buy your way out of a disaster or a collapse. Skills and mindset can be as important – if not more so – than physical goods.

Here are ten ideas to get your wheels turning.

#1) Fill containers with water

If you haven’t taken out the recycling yet this week, don’t!  You can use those empty two-liter soda pop bottles and gallon water bottles to stock up on a drinking water supply. Count on a gallon a day per human and pet. (Two 2-liter bottles are approximately a gallon).

But don’t stop there. If you have other containers that shouldn’t be used for drinking water, you can fill them with water for other uses, like sanitation, flushing the toilet, and keeping clean.

Add to your supply each week, and soon you’ll have a month supply, quietly sitting there in your basement. Here’s an infographic to get you started on safely storing water. If you want to be more serious about your water supply, I have a book about it that you can get on Amazon.

#2) Do a drill

The absolute best way to know what you need during an emergency is to simulate a crisis.  Get your family on board and spend a weekend without power and running water. Keep a list going for the entire weekend so that you can note what needs arose. (Leave the breakers on for the refrigerator and freezer – you don’t want to potentially have your food spoil.)

Can you make coffee and food? Can you keep warm in the winter and cool in the summer? Can you keep the kids entertained without the internet or phone service?

#3) Learn what edibles are wild in your area

Go to the library and grab a book on foraging. Then begin to explore your local area to find out what food grows wild there, formerly unbeknownst to you. Go on a nature walk and come home with goodies!

The fun doesn’t stop with just bringing the food home. Next, research how to best prepare the wild edibles you’ve acquired. You may find this at the library or you may be able to search for recipes online.  Be sure to jot down in a notebook what you found and how you prepared it.

#4) Put together important information

Organize your essential papers and documents into a folder so that you can grab it quickly if you ever have to bug out. Include things like medical records, veterinary records, deeds, mortgage papers, insurance policies, social security numbers, and identification.

Don’t stop at just putting it in a folder. You should also scan these documents and save them in the cloud. Here is a preparedness based article on the topic and another article on whether or not this is a safe action.

#5) Prep for an evacuation

Now you need to pack a bug-out bag. If budget is a concern, use bags you already have along with supplies that you already have. The important thing is to have this stuff organized and be ready to go at a moment’s notice. Have a list of last minute items so that you know what you need. It’s better to think this through when you’re calm, not when the clock is ticking towards disaster.

You’ll want things like personal documents, extra medication, comfort items for children, and survival supplies that could get you through 3 days away from home.  To take a look at the ultimate prepper’s bug out bag, look at this one from Graywolf Survival. Don’t forget sentimental items. They are truly the only things that could never be replaced.

Figure out where you’ll go. Is there a friend or family member in another area who would welcome you? Is there a pet-friendly hotel (if you have pets?) Where is the usual shelter in your area during natural disasters? Knowing all this ahead of time and mapping routes will help you to evacuate faster.

#6) Bookmark some websites

The internet is a wonderful place, and best of all, this knowledge can be found for FREE! The more you know about crisis situations, the more ready you will be to face them. Some sites are friendlier to beginners than others, so if you stumble upon a forum where people seem less than enthusiastic about helping people who are just starting out, don’t let it get you down. Move on and find a site that makes you feel comfortable. Following are some of my favorites, and the link will take you to a good starting point on these sites. In no particular order:

• The Organic Prepper (obviously – and subscribe here for the daily newsletter)
• Mind4Survival
• Graywolf Survival
• SurvivalistPrepper.net
• Survival Weekly
• AreYouPreparedMama
• Survival Blog

#7) Learn a skill

A huge part of prepping is your skills. In a big enough disaster or one that lasts much longer than expected, there’s every possibility your supplies will be destroyed or run out. Knowing what to do then is vital to your survival.

Your public library and the internet are great resources. I learned to run a homestead with videos from YouTube. Seriously, there’s nothing you can’t learn to do if you have access to these things.

So think about a skill you’d like to acquire that doesn’t require expensive equipment. I already mentioned foraging but there are loads of other things to learn. A few suggestions:

• sewing by hand
• mending things
• repairing things that are broken
• building a shelter using found items
• cooking over a campfire
• grow food from scraps
• trapping with a snare
• cooking from scratch
• research first aid and basic medical information
• learn to upcycle the things you’d generally throw away into something useful
• take free classes

You get the idea. Anything that is an old-fashioned skill would come in handy during a survival situation.

#8) Map out your local area

It’s a good idea to locate important resources in your area well before you need them. Here are a few reasons why:

• You may plan to travel or may unexpectedly be required to travel to another location during a disaster, which may require you to use alternate routes. You can use maps to determine these routes for yourself rather than just following the crowd
• You may want to determine the location of dangerous weather (tornados, hurricanes, winter storms, etc,) in relation to where you are
• Determine the location of resources that you might want to travel to and alternate routes to get there (Part 4 will provide more information on this topic)
• Determine locations and direction of travel of mobs, crowds, or potential enemy forces that you might hear about on the radio or TV
• Locate military intelligence type information about potential or actual threats to your location that you might discover talking to fellow travelers (source)

There are many free maps available for download. You can find them with a quick internet search.

#9) Meet like-minded people

Now, when I say you should meet like-minded people, I’m not necessarily talking about preppers. There’s a broad array of folks that could be the makings of a fantastic survival community.

• Get to know folks in your area who garden.
• Meet your local farmers.
• Make friends at the shooting range.
• Members of local homesteading groups are already independent thinkers
• Community watch members on social media
• Attend free county extension office classes on canning, gardening, and food preservation

As I’ve written before, you are shortchanging yourself if you think only preppers will be likeminded. Here’s an article on finding a community.

#10) Get fit.

One thing preppers often overlook is the importance of their physical abilities. Even if you are disabled, there are things you can do to improve your fitness and stamina.

Search for exercises online that you can do whatever shape you are in or limitations you have. And, if you DO have disabilities, you need to figure out smart ways to work around your limitations. (Find more info for disabled preppers or those with a chronic illness here.)

The easiest way to start your journey to fitness is by lacing up your most comfortable and supportive shoes and going for a walk. You can begin to challenge yourself to lift and carry heavier things. You can stretch using an online yoga video. The big goal is to just get started. And, if you are carrying around too much weight, you may want to work on losing a few pounds to make things easier on your joints during a crisis situation. (If you are really serious about getting fit, here’s a great book on the topic, written just for preppers.)

You can prep without spending a fortune. You just need to be smart about it.

Don’t let your budget get you down.

Of course, we’d all love to be able to grab a five year supply of freeze-dried foods, load up on guns and ammo, and move to our fully-stocked bug-out retreats in our Hummers, but for most folks, that isn’t at all feasible. What IS feasible is focusing on the things we CAN do. (If you have a little bit of money to spend, check out this article on $1 preps.)

The most important ways to prep are to keep learning, keep organizing, and be alert. If you do those three things, even without spending a lot of money on supplies, you’ll be far, far ahead of the unprepared masses. Sometimes I think those of us who live with a very tight budget may just be better off when things go sideways because we already know how to sacrifice and get by on less.

Do you have any other ideas for free ways to prep? Are you prepping on a tight budget? Share your suggestions and ideas in the comments section.

Sound off about this article on the Late Prepper Substack.

About Daisy

Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, adventure-seeking, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites.  1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty; 2)  The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived; and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. Her work is widely republished across alternative media and she has appeared in many interviews.

Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 12 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at SelfRelianceand Survival.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.

People create prepper food stockpiles for many different reasons, and because of this, there is no “one-size-fits-all” formula for doing so. You must figure out what your goals are and develop a road map towards achieving them.

Having a food supply just makes sense.  Every time there is a disaster, the masses become hysterical, and chaos ensues because there is no food available because of our “just-in-time” food delivery system. (Remember March of 2020?) Your stockpile can also mean the difference between continued freedom or forced compliance to get food.

There are three basic types of food supplies.  Let’s look at these food storage ideologies. Then take the most applicable strategies and combine them to create your own version of the ultimate pantry.

The Bunker Pantry

This is the most “hardcore” of the prepper food stockpile types.  A Bunker Pantry is the type of food supply that could keep you going for the next ten years without a single trip to the store.  Sure, it might be a little bit boring and lacking in variety, but it is a supply that will see you through any disaster and allow you to remain in your shelter.  This type of pantry focuses on huge quantities of long-term foods, repackaged carefully to resist spoilage due to pests or the elements.

If this is the type of pantry you’d like to build, focus on staples that last a long, long time, such as wheat, rice, dried beans, salt, and sugar. These foods can be purchased in bulk and repackaged by the user, or you can purchase them already packaged up through vendors like the LDS warehouse or online food storage websites.

Add emergency food buckets and freeze-dried foods to this for a bit (but not a lot) of variety. Here are some tips on food buckets.

The pros are that this kind of food supply can be created very quickly. If you have the money to do so, you can order all this stuff at once and shuffle it into your store room. As well, once you have it stored away, there’s a lot less rotating required. You can get it and forget it.

The cons are a very limited diet that may not be healthy for a long period of time, food fatigue from eating the same stuff for ages, and expense. This is by far the most expensive way to create a prepper food stockpile. As well, takes a lot of space to store this much food, so generally, a dedicated area must be used as a storeroom.

The Agrarian Pantry

This type of pantry is the kind our ancestors had.  Most of the food is acquired during the growing season, and only small shopping trips are needed to supplement this throughout the year. It combines enough basic staples for the year ahead with enough of your preserved harvest to get you through the next growing season.

This type of pantry must be replenished every year. Basically, the items in your pantry are purchased and put back with the intention of consuming them within the next 12 months.

The pros to this prepper food stockpile are that it’s healthy, loaded with variety, and sustainable if you are growing or acquiring your food locally. I find it really enjoyable to preserve food and I like to be creative with the ways I put food back. (Get more ideas here.)

There are a few cons to this method as well. Not everyone has the space or ability to grow food. Farmer’s markets, where I used to get tons of fresh food to preserve, have become expensive artisan havens. A bad harvest can mean a lean year ahead if you are unable to supplement with store-bought goods. And finally, it’s a lot of work, and not every prepper is up for that.

The Bargain-Hunter’s Pantry

This is the type of pantry made famous by the extreme couponing shows.  Using a variety of strategies, people can amass an enormous quantity of food for very little money.  Couponing, sale shopping, bartering, and buying from outlet stores and warehouses can help to create a pantry full of packaged items.

The great thing about the bargain hunter’s pantry is that you can build up a huge amount of food on a very limited budget if you’re a smart shopper.

But there’s a downside to this method as well. While this is a great way to get started or to supplement your other strategies, this can make for an unhealthy diet.  Much of what you are acquiring is highly processed, and without a lot of personal discipline, you aren’t building a balanced pantry but just stockpiling whatever is the cheapest.  If you use this method, you must be extremely careful not to end up with a pantry filled with low-quality carbs and lacking in protein, fruits, and veggies. (Cheap ketchup is NOT a vegetable)

Combine the best of each strategy to build the ultimate prepper food stockpile.

The best prepper food stockpile combines the three strategies listed above to create the optimal supply for the needs of your particular family.

The key is organization.  Keep the following tips in mind to create the best possible pantry.

1. Keep an up-to-date inventory so that you know what you have
2. Catalog your coupons by type and expiration date
3. Track the sales cycles.
4. Keep your products rotated into your kitchen so that you don’t lose foods to missed expiration dates.
5. Store longer-term foods in optimum conditions to prolong their viability.
6. Maintain a list of what is needed to balance your pantry nutritionally so that you can focus on those items when an unexpected bargain pops up.
7. Buy pantry staples (like beans and grains) in the largest quantities you can manage in order to maximize your savings. (Learn more.)
8. Remember the adage “Store what you eat and eat what you store.”  It isn’t a bargain if you purchase something no one in your family will eat.
9. Supplement your pantry by growing as much as possible in your particular circumstances, even if you are just adding a windowsill herb and salad garden. (Learn more here and here.)
10. Tap into your inner hunter-gatherer with strategies like foraging, fishing, snaring, and hunting.
11. Purchase seasonally and in large quantities from local growers (or harvest from your own gardens).
12. Become a food preservation expert and stock up on the necessary tools and supplies. (Learn more.)

Use these strategies as a jumping-off point for your own ultimate prepper food stockpile. You may be able to improve your existing pantry by borrowing strategies from a different pantry type.

If you’re looking for more information on creating a pantry, I have a really popular course about building a pantry on a budget that you can take online. If you want hard copies of the information, check out my book, Prepper’s Pantry.  I also compiled every food-related post from this website into a physical book called How to Feed Your Family No Matter What. It contains all our content on the storage, acquisition, preservation, and preparation of food.

Which is your favorite prepper food storage strategy?

Do you focus on one of these strategies over the others? Did you start out with one and then evolve to another? Do you combine all three? Do you have any advice for folks who are new to pantry building?

Comment on this post or subscribe to the Late Prepper Substack.

 About the Author

Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, adventure-seeking, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites.  1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty; 2)  The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived; and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. Her work is widely republished across alternative media and she has appeared in many interviews.

Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 12 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at SelfRelianceand Survival.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.

Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada, wants to heap more taxes on grocery stores to punish them for high prices. And Chicago’s mayor, Brandon Johnson, has proposed city-owned grocery stores.

Some other times the government has taken control of the food supply

Historically, it’s the beginning of the end for people when the government begins to interfere with food pricing, production, and distribution. Just look at some of the rules that were established in Venezuela that led to widespread hunger.  The government took control of food production facilities. They began forcing farmers to produce food for less than the cost of growing or raising it. They rationed food to families. They even began to track people who were growing their own food. In short, every terrible decision it was possible to make, they made. And the people suffered for it.

There’s an article by a friend of mine, Scott Terry, that I always cite when talking about the collectivization of food. He wrote a concerning history of this troubling phenomenon right here in America and it’s well worth a read. His article is specifically about agriculture but the same principles hold true of other governmental controls on food.

In short, he concludes that:

There are several reasons why the collectivists want to destroy agriculture in America.

The first being that the farmer has traditionally been the great stumbling block to communism and totalitarianism.  Stalin found this out the hard way and had to murder seven million ( 7,000,000) Ukrainian farmers by starvation.  One cannot enslave a population of independent freeholders.  They must be removed one way or another.

The second reason is that the easiest way to control people is through food.  There are executive orders on the books that give the federal government the power to confiscate and nationalize the nations agricultural resources.  Now, it is much easier to control a handful of farms as opposed to controlling several million farms.  These plans have been on the books for many years (and always renewed by all subsequent presidents) and help explain why the USDA has always encouraged farmers to “get big or get out”.   No industry in America has seen more consolidation than agriculture.

Stalin starved as many as 7 million Ukrainians during the Holomodor. China’s Great Famine was the result of governmental decisions and 30 million people died of starvation. Ethiopia has been accused of deliberately starving its own citizens. North Korea has such stringent rules around who can have food and what they can have that people starve to death in the middle of wheat fields because their harvests go to the government.

In short, it’s always ALWAYS a terrible idea.

What does Justin Trudeau want to do?

The heads of Canada’s largest grocery store chains were hastily summoned to the capitol in Ottawa to discuss plans to “stabilize food prices” after PM Trudeau issued an ultimatum:

The meeting was the result of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declaring on Friday that he was summonsing top officials from Loblaw, Metro, Empire, Walmart and Costco to begin discussions to address what a House committee has long been studying(opens in a new tab): the escalating price of groceries in Canada.

Trudeau’s ultimatum was(opens in a new tab): Come up with a credible plan by Thanksgiving or he’ll consider “the use of tax measures in order to restore the grocery price stability that Canadians expect.”

“Such actions must not negatively impact small suppliers or the price that farmers receive for their products, nor should they impact pricing mechanisms as determined by supply-managed industries,” Champagne’s office said Monday, elaborating on the government’s expectations.

Trudeau seems to think that the stores are rolling in money.

“Trudeau said food is “too expensive for too many families,” and said given these major grocery chains are making “record profits” he plans to “hold them to account.”

Of course, putting it solely on the backs of grocery store chains without also including producers means that the stores will lose money. And what happens when a product line isn’t profitable? Oh. They stop selling those products.

What could possibly go wrong?

Meanwhile in Chicago…

In Chicago, stores like Walmart and Whole Foods have shut their doors in certain neighborhoods, creating food deserts. Mayor Brandon Johnson has a plan for that.

Spoiler: It’s not tackling the high levels of crime that may have caused the exodus in the first place. (Though it’s important to note that neither Walmart nor Whole Foods has publicly given a reason for closing the stores aside from a vague “lack of profit” statement.) But our American cities are under siege by shoplifters, as we’ve noted here recently. This article suggests that crime is very likely the cause of the closures.

One explanation could be the shoplifting epidemic taking over America, which has seen retailers struggling to cope with the consequence-less pilfering, stripping them of revenue that’s also led to the closure of a “landmark” grocery store in Baltimore that shut its doors after nearly 25 years.

Experts have blamed the surge on lax policies — including the passage of Prop 47 in California, which reduced theft from a potential felony to a misdemeanor — as well as calls to defund the police in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd, which resulted in a mass exodus of cops nationwide.

The atmosphere has made retail-laden cities like New York, San Francisco and Chicago a “shoplifter’s paradise.”

According to the Chicago Police Department, thefts are up 25% to-date year over year. Robberies are up 11%.

Illinois is also one of the states that has shifted to a state wtih crimes that don’t require cash bail for criminals to be released after they’re apprehended.

Anyway… back to the plan.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said he wants to open city-owned grocery stores to serve neighborhoods that have become “food deserts” after four Walmart stores and a Whole Foods closed.

Johnson announced last week that his administration would partner with the nonprofit advocacy group Economic Security Project to put stores in underserved areas of the city.

Local Republicans are not pleased:

Republican politicians in the Democrat-run Windy City blasted the plan as something out of “Soviet-style central planning.”

“Take all the problems private chains face in low-income areas, then add in amateur management by a bureaucracy, Chicago-style political corruption in hiring and contracting, and a limited range of products,” said Steve Boulton, the chairman of the Chicago Republican Party.

“Private chains should just pull out of all the neighborhoods, because the city stores will have better police protection and lower prices subsidized by the long-suffering Chicago taxpayer.”

“Food deserts do exist in Chicago neighborhoods, but the answer is promoting capitalist prosperity and stopping crime, not injecting more socialist dependency,” Boulton added.

Again…what could possibly go wrong?

We’re seeing a concerning trend these days.

Governments are getting way too big for their britches. They want to control every facet of our lives, up to and including how much businesses can charge for the food we eat.

Obviously, I don’t like to go to the store and find that a box of Triscuits costs $7. But I can choose not to buy the Triscuits. I can go buy other things that are more reasonably priced. Once the government begins to interfere and companies are no longer making profits, not only will products still be expensive, but they’ll become harder and harder to come by.

We saw semi-empty grocery stores for the first time that I recall in my lifetime during the Covid-induced supply chain crisis in 2020. We’ve never fully bounced back from that. The supplies that refilled the shelves were smaller, often lower quality, and far more expensive.

This, of course, leads governments to come up with “solutions” and add more restrictions and regulations. Instead of letting the free market thrash it out, they’ve made it more and more difficult for farmers and small stores to recover. I fear that we’re rapidly moving toward a world where you can only shop at Walmart, Amazon, and CVS.

Every time the government gets involved in things that should be simple – like producing, selling, and buying food – this is another way that they can control people. It’s happened time and time again throughout history but people are so desperate for solutions that they think, “It’ll be different this time.”

It won’t.

What are your thoughts?

I urge you to work on your food supplies. Please check out How to Feed Your Family No Matter What. This is a printed collection of nearly 500 pages of a decade’s worth of Organic Prepper articles on food production, acquisition, and preservation that will help you regardless of what kind of control is exerted over our food supplies.

Are we looking at more collectivization of food here in North America? Do you think we’ll see more price caps or government-owned food distribution? Do you think this is a good thing and will help? Do you think this will hinder our economy from recovering?

Share your thoughts in the comments section.

About Daisy

Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, adventure-seeking, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites.  1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty; 2)  The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived; and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. Her work is widely republished across alternative media and she has appeared in many interviews.

Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 12 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at SelfRelianceand Survival.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.

If you haven’t heard, an unassuming warehouse about an hour outside of Fresno, California, was found to contain evidence of horrific, black-market biological experiments. Reedley City, a fairly small town of fewer than 25,000 people, was the site of a shocking laboratory.

What was in the Chinese bio lab?

This lab was found back in December, and we’re just now hearing about it. Juanita Adame of YourCentralValley.com broke the story and shared the shock of local officials.

“This is an unusual situation. I’ve been in government for 25 years. I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Reedley City Manager Nicole Zieba.

Even county health officials were left in shock.

“I’ve never seen this in my 26-year career with the County of Fresno,” said Assistant Director of the Fresno County Department of Public Health Joe Prado.

What was supposed to be an empty building used only for storage was home to a black-market type of lab testing facility.

“So there was over 800 different chemicals on site in different bottles of different acids. Unfortunately, a lot of these are being categorized under unknown chemicals,” Prado explained.

The discovery was made after a local code enforcement officer noticed this garden hose poking out a back wall of the building.

“Frankly, we knew that should not have been there and when she went to investigate, she found that there was activity or operation or something happening within that building,” Zieba said

…

“Through their statements that they were doing some testing on laboratory mice that would help them support, developing the COVID test kits that they had on-site,” Prado said.

Health officials discovered nearly 1,000 lab mice, 200 of which were already dead.

Also found were thousands of vials, many of which contained biohazardous materials including human blood, and other unknown substances.

“A lot of these labels have been removed from bottles so there was only so much testing. We could do those chemicals,” Prado continued.

According to court documents officials with the Centers for Disease Control tested what they could and determined that at least 20 potentially infectious viral, bacterial, and parasitic agents were present including E. Coli, malaria, and even COVID.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

But the original story, as scary as it is, is putting it mildly. Here’s some horrifying footage from inside the lab.

Now that everybody knows, the FBI and the CDC have “raided” the lab occupied only by laboratory animals.

A report by the Daily Mail (love them or hate them, they have the most thorough coverage I’ve seen about this) listed the following horrors documented by investigators:

Photos obtained by DailyMail.com via court documents show dead mice stuffed in storage bins haphazardly shoved on shelves and freezers filled to the brim with bottles of blood and plasma of origins unknown.

The images also show stacks of boxes containing dangerous pathogens, including one labeled ‘malaria’ that had Chinese etched on it. Other infectious agents discovered during the bust include Covid-19, tuberculosis, HIV, herpes, and dengue fever…

…On March 3, investigators gained entry to the warehouse on I street operated by an organization called Prestige BioTech.

They discovered a small room containing nearly 1,000 white mice crowded into storage containers under bright lights 24 hours a day, seven days a week in an airless room on perpetually dirty bedding. When investigators found them, hundreds were already dead.

A wide array of vials were also identified containing biomaterials, including blood and tissue, as well as many other unlabeled chemicals.

Some were found to contain chlamydia, E. Coli, streptococcus pneumonia, hepatitis B and C, herpes 1 and 5, rubella and malaria. And it appears that the biological waste produced at the site was discarded in such a way that violated the safe remotal protocols required in the state Medical Waste Management Act.

To date, city officials have removed than 5,000 gallons of biological waste from the site over three separate trips…

…Among hundreds of vials of dangerous viruses and bacteria along with shelves of dead and distressed mice lacking food and water, investigators also found over 30 freezers containing biological materials, some of which ‘had either stopped functioning or were failing due to an inadequate power supply…

…There were also freezers that they did not dare open for fear of exposure to whatever infectious agents were stored inside.

Court documents seem to indicate that officials were aware of this lab before it was abandoned, citing conversations about the welfare of the mice.

Why aren’t we holding anyone accountable for this?

My biggest question, after I reeled myself back from the horror of this lab with no oversight conducting deadly experiments all willy-nilly, is, why aren’t we holding anyone accountable for this?

Is it because we funded the bio lab in China that most likely started the Covid pandemic, as per Congressional testimony? Tit for Tat? Is it because of all the favors allegedly sold to foreign interests by the First Son with the alleged knowledge of the President? Is it that our White House just doesn’t care what China does, and seems, in fact, to be allowing China greater liberties than ever before?

Or is it just because we have notoriously weak leadership?

It’s my opinion that such a risky breach on our own soil, in a populated area, without the knowledge or permission of local officials, is egregious enough to be considered an act of war. If not that, it certainly deserves some kind of rebuke or retaliation.

But all we hear from our national leadership is crickets.

The next deadly pandemic – one that would’ve put the Covid pandemic to shame – could have so easily started in a dusty town in the middle of the Central Valley and nobody with any power seems to care. That’s where a whole lot of our produce comes from, I might add, which illustrates just how easy it would’ve been to infect the entire country from this location.

I’m disgusted. Not only by this laboratory of horrors but also by our own ineffectual leadership.

If you needed more evidence that we are completely on our own, here you have it.

What are your thoughts?

What do you think about this laboratory operating secretly in California? Do you think that it deserves an official response? What are your thoughts about Chinese facilities in the US that have no oversight? Do you think this is no big deal and I’m overreacting?

Let’s talk about it in the comments section.

About Daisy

Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, adventure-seeking, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites.  1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty; 2)  The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived; and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. Her work is widely republished across alternative media and she has appeared in many interviews.

Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 12 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at SelfRelianceand Survival.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter. Article cross-posted from her site.

Wow, that sounds great, doesn’t it? Of course, that is a spot created by the Federal Reserve and up ton the Federal Reserve YouTube channel.

FedNow is live at 35 banks.

Axios reports that 35 banks across the country are participating in the launch.

By the numbers: So far, 35 banks have signed up as early adopters of FedNow, including JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo, but notably not including Citigroup or Bank of America. That number is rather lower than the Fed led us to believe as recently as recently as June.

The U.S. Treasury is also signed up as an early adopter of FedNow.

Some 353 banks and credit unions have signed up for RTP.

In order to use either service, both the sending and the receiving bank need to be signed up for the system.

We are now officially on that slippery slope I’ve been talking about. I wrote about exactly this happening in my dystopian fiction, Good Citizens, and discussed how this could evolve to control almost every aspect of our lives.

Why I’m concerned now that FedNow is live

A while back, I wrote an article discussing a payment gateway designed by the Federal Reserve called FedNow. This is a way to make instant transfers between accounts, sort of like PayPal or Venmo, but without the users having to move the money from various wallets.

While it sounds convenient, the concern is that this puts the infrastructure to quickly roll out CBDCs into place. Previously, I wrote about this.

On March 15th, in the midst of the banking collapses, the Federal Reserve issued a press release detailing a new instant payment system that will be launched in July. That system is called FedNow. Here’s what they said about it.

The first week of April, the Federal Reserve will begin the formal certification of participants for launch of the service. Early adopters will complete a customer testing and certification program, informed by feedback from the FedNow Pilot Program, to prepare for sending live transactions through the system.

Certification encompasses a comprehensive testing curriculum with defined expectations for operational readiness and network experience. In June, the Federal Reserve and certified participants will conduct production validation activities to confirm readiness for the July launch.

“We couldn’t be more excited about the forthcoming FedNow launch, which will enable every participating financial institution, the smallest to the largest and from all corners of the country, to offer a modern instant payment solution,” said Ken Montgomery, first vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and FedNow program executive. “With the launch drawing near, we urge financial institutions and their industry partners to move full steam ahead with preparations to join the FedNow Service.”

Many early adopters have declared their intent to begin using the service in July, including a diverse mix of financial institutions of all sizes, the largest processors, and the U.S. Treasury.

This has all the hallmarks of a government strategy. First, they offer it as a “convenience” or a “safety measure.” Lots of people will jump on board in order to take advantage of this. Of course, we’ve heard this song before.

Next, it will be pushed harder, and those who don’t adopt it will be mocked, thought of as backward, and treated with suspicion. After that, it’ll be darn near impossible to do anything without it. Sound familiar?

The Federal Reserve Banks are developing the FedNow Service to facilitate nationwide reach of instant payment services by financial institutions — regardless of size or geographic location — around the clock, every day of the year. Through financial institutions participating in the FedNow Service, businesses and individuals will be able to send and receive instant payments at any time of day, and recipients will have full access to funds immediately, giving them greater flexibility to manage their money and make time-sensitive payments. Access will be provided through the Federal Reserve’s FedLine^® network, which serves more than 10,000 financial institutions directly or through their agents.

But what truly makes me worried is that since FedNow is live, this is a soft way to move us all over into using a federal money transferring system that could easily, easily be the platform for the implementation of CBDCs, the digital dollar that could end freedom as we know it.

Please note that what we have with FedNow is NOT a CBDC. It’s just a payment gateway.

But now, the early infrastructure is in place for CBDCs.

Changing a nation’s entire currency is not an overnight project. If we were to go completely digital with our money, it would take a while. Several things would need to happen first:

• A national financial infrastructure would need to be created that links accounts from all the banks to an information highway.
• They’d need to get people comfortable with using this system and to do that, it would need to be fast and convenient. Who wouldn’t want their money right away? It feels like a win to sell a car and have 20K in your account instantly without waiting for the check to clear.
• This provides some time to work out any bugs. The folks adopting FedNow would be the guinea pigs. It’s new, but everyone expects new stuff to be glitchy. If you’re getting in on the ground floor, you’re probably willing to be patient with that.
• Next, they’ll want to get as many people voluntarily using it as possible. Expect generous offers, outrageous convenience, and free or cheap transactions.
• Once it’s all in place and running smoothly, the final transition from cash money to digital money would just be a matter of the central bank devaluing our cash but allowing people to trade it for digital at full (or at least greater) value.

If you’ve never listened to me before, please listen to me now. This IS the road we’re on. And once CBDCs are in place, especially if they are the only option, your every transaction will be monitored, data will be mined from your spending, and your choices can be controlled.

What’s the big deal with CBDCs?

CBDC stands for Central Bank Digital Currency, and these are digital versions of a country’s currency. A digital currency alongside our current physical currency is voluntary. My concern is when that digital currency becomes the only option. And I do mean when, not if.

A digital currency could mean such controls as automatic taxation or where and when you’re allowed to make purchases – all at the push of a button. The most likely way this will be rolled out is to “fight inflation” and “fix the economy.” As per the IMF:

A world with lower inflation (and even zero inflation) and no persistent recessions may sound like a pipe dream, but we argue that it is possible by transitioning to an “electronic money standard.” Such a transition requires eliminating the zero lower bound, which central banks can achieve using readily available tools. Breaking the zero lower bound implies that the optimal rate of inflation will be lower than in the presence of the lower bound. This will empower central banks to quickly restore full employment and, over the medium term, possibly move toward targeting full price stability with zero inflation.

Obviously, any kind of manipulation like this is false, and while there may be some temporary relief, it won’t solve the underlying problems with our economy.

Bank for International Settlements wrote a glowing report about the “benefits” of the CBDC system. Here’s what I took away from this:

• Central bankers can execute policy or modify rates instantaneously, at the push of a button.
• Private crypto is bad.
• Central bank digital currency is good.
• CBDCs are better than crypto because they’re trusted.
• CBDCs aren’t “subject to the practical limitations of paper money.” (i.e., they can be tracked.)
• Therefore it protects against “money laundering, proliferation financing, and terrorist financing.”
• It will increase the pool of data generated on users and transactions, thus “helping” the “proper authorities.”
• “Multi-CBDC platforms” aids in decentralization. (i.e., a global economy)
• On a common CBDC platform across multiple central banks, transactions are recorded on one ledger.

I don’t think it means what they’re trying to tell us it means.

What can you do?

I’ve written a lot lately about the need to get your money out of the banks. You need something of value that does not require you to dance to the tune of the government’s fiddle. Imagine if you had a savings account and the “value” of that money changed with the implementation of CBDCs. Imagine it’s worth less, say, by 20 percent.

Suddenly your $10,000 becomes $8,000. Your $100,000 loses $20K to become $80,000. It would only take a second, with the click of a button in some office up on the Mount Olympus of the Fed.

If you have savings and you want to protect your money, you need to make at least a portion of it tangible. That means investing in:

• Supplies like food, tools, and other long-term preps
• Land
• Precious metals

I’m not suggesting going out and dealing in only silver dimes if you are in a situation in which you’re living from paycheck to paycheck. If you are in those shoes like so many of us are right now, you don’t have as many options. It isn’t feasible or practical if you’re going to need this money right away for existing expenses.

But if you are trying to protect existing wealth and this is not money you’ll need to access immediately, I urge you to consider investing it into gold or silver to protect your savings during the economic downturn ahead. At the same time, getting your money out of this currency system that may soon be switched to CBDC is the only way to ensure it remains yours.

I use ITM Trading, out of Phoenix, AZ, for all of my metals purchases. I know there are plenty of good companies out there, but I prefer ITM because of their focus on education. I’ve learned so much in my consultations (which are free, btw). I’ve been very impressed with the access to curated resources, research, and weekly insights on macroeconomics, central banks, currencies, and the global reset that they provide. To me, there’s really no other option for my purchases.

If you want to schedule a strategy session with ITM, it’s absolutely free, and there is no pressure whatsoever. Some folks take weeks or months before investing, and others decide it isn’t for them. But what every single person walks away with is a clearer understanding of the monetary system and what investing in precious metals entails. And you get all of it at no charge. To schedule your own appointment, go here or call this number directly: 1-866-517-1257 – I’ll be really interested to know whether you’re as impressed as I am. (Editor’s Note: ITM works with Daisy, not us. This publication is not endorsing them, not that we are against them in any way; frankly, I don’t know who they are. But just know that they are Daisy’s endorsement, not ours.)

We’re all just one wrongthink away from losing our money.

Remember in Canada when Trudeau locked down accounts for supporting the trucker strike? We’re all just one wrongthink away from losing access to our money.

Another recent precedent regarding losing access to the financial system is the case of Nigel Farage. Both he and his relatives have had bank accounts closed and been unable to open other accounts because they’ve been named PEPs: Politically Exposed Persons. Farage, if you recall, was pro-Brexit. He wrote:

Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, Mr Farage, who said several other banks had denied him accounts, claimed he was the victim of over-zealous anti-money laundering regulations.

“Anti-money laundering rules appear to have been wildly over-interpreted by the compliance departments of banks in the UK,” he wrote in the Brexit-supporting newspaper.

“Nobody can deny that money laundering is a problem, he said. “Yet a series of agreements, EU directives and UK rules established to confront this menace have almost entirely failed to do so.

“Banks now live in fear of receiving huge fines. Their default setting seems to be to close down the business and personal accounts of anybody who is deemed to require extra due diligence – be they the owner of a window cleaning firm or a pawnbroker.”

He added: “Those who are paid in cash are no longer welcome; the compliance costs of servicing these accounts makes them unprofitable.”

Mr Farage initially claimed that his account with Coutts, which acts on behalf of the royal family, had been closed in an “establishment”-orchestrated revenge mission for Brexit, sparking a free speech row.

So it’s already happening. People are losing access to the system for having political beliefs that oppose the status quo that the ruling administration has in place.

I know that these two examples are outside the US, but that doesn’t provide me even a tiny little bit of comfort. I’ve already suffered massive financial abuse at the hands of government-funded censorship groups. Many others have too.

Is it really a stretch of the imagination that losing banking privileges could happen here in America, the Land of Cancel Culture? What will you do if you can no longer use a bank? How will you get and cash your paycheck? How will you pay your bills now that so many things must be done online?

When we are no longer free to vociferously disagree, we aren’t free at all.

You need a backup plan, and you need it now. FedNow is live, and I don’t believe that good things will follow.

What are your thoughts?

Are you concerned about the implementation of FedNow? Do you think that this is just a payment gateway or do you think it’s a step toward CBDCs and total financial control? What strategy are you planning to use to survive an attack on financial liberty?

Let’s talk about it in the comments section.

About Daisy

Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, adventure-seeking, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites.  1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty; 2)  The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived; and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. Her work is widely republished across alternative media and she has appeared in many interviews.

Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 12 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at SelfRelianceand Survival.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.

Sure, they’ve got modern bistros in Sofia and spicy Thai bowls in Bucharest, but my goal is not to be “fancy” – it’s to eat what local folks eat. So I focus on traditional restaurants, farmer’s markets, bakeries, and the like to stay fed. And if you pay attention when you do this, there’s a lot you can learn from traditional diets.

I always lose weight when I spend time in Europe. Part of it is probably due to the walking – I don’t have a car here, and my feet are my transportation. But the other part is the healthy, balanced local cuisine that isn’t soaked in glyphosate or tainted with genetic science. I notice an immediate difference in how my joints feel and in my energy levels. And this is all without restricting food or cutting out entire dietary groups. It’s simply eating normal food like a normal person.

Let me be perfectly clear: I’m not suggesting you need to slave for hours in the kitchen over every single meal. A lot of these things are not particularly labor intensive, and there are always shortcuts you can take while maintaining the level of nutrition that is just a part of traditional food.

Here are a few observations. These probably aren’t earth-shattering, but I hope you find them of interest.

Preserved produce is part of many meals.

In Bulgaria, a meal is not complete without a smokey dollop of lutenitsa. This is a sauce that is predominantly made from red peppers and also contains tomato, eggplant, onion, and carrot. The veggies are grilled or roasted then pureed into a sauce that is used as a condiment for meat and french fries and is also spread on a piece of fresh, warm crusty bread. It also plays a starring role in meat and cheese platters. You can make it fresh each time, or make a huge batch and pressure bath can it for some tasty vitamin C in the winter. (A lot of sites will tell you that it’s ok to water bath can this – I wouldn’t. The eggplant and peppers are too low-acid to be safely processed in a water bath.) There’s a very similar sauce to this in Bosnia and Serbia called ajvar, which does not have tomatoes and eggplant in it.

In Romania, it seems that a meal is not complete unless it contains pickles – or muraturi. It’s a catch-all word that could land any number of pickled items on your plate. Often it’s the green cucumber pickles we’re familiar with when titling an item a pickle, but it could just as easily be beets, cabbage, or even a mix of veggies that have been brined. I’ve even seen menus with what translates to “pickle salad” – and this is simply a bowl of pickles of some description. What we’d consider pickles in America are called specifically pickled cucumbers. Here’s a traditional Transylvanian pickle recipe. and here’s a video about pickling veggies. I was never a fan of pickles until having the Romanian ones, and maybe I’ve just been Stockholmed into liking them.

Carbs are king.

Folks in this part of the world are NOT afraid of carbs. If you said that you ate low-carb here they would look at you with confusion and offer you another potato. There is not a meal in sight in a traditional restaurant that doesn’t have at least one filling, delicious carbohydrate.

I went to a roadside tavern in Transylvania and ordered a meal that contained smoked meat, cheese, potatoes, AND polenta. It was baked in a clay dish and served as hot as the surface of the sun. There was a side of bread and butter, and of course, a bowl of pickles. It fueled me through a long afternoon of climbing ten billion steep tiny steps while touring a medieval castle and was absolutely delicious.

But there’s more to carbs than just giving you energy. They’re cheap and filling, and during difficult times this is more important than ever. As well, if times are tough, there’s a very good chance you’ll be doing a whole lot more physical activity and you’ll need that energy.

You may be thinking, “Carbs are the devil,” or “I’m diabetic, you idiot!” Well if you feel strongly about it, you don’t have to eat them. If you have a health contraindication, you shouldn’t eat them. But be sure you are cutting them out for the right reasons. Whole food should not be scary, and this is a very American way of looking at nutrition.

Dairy is delicious.

I don’t do a whole lot of dairy in the US. I eat occasional cheese because it’s CHEESE, but I use oat milk in my coffee and can’t even remember the last time I had a glass of milk as a beverage.

On my travels, however, avoiding dairy is no easy option. If you asked for oat milk at the cafe they’d look at you in confusion and probably bring you a bowl of oatmeal with milk. You can get a whole lot of different kinds of dairy milk at the grocery store, however, that aren’t always available in the US. Cow’s milk at various levels of pasteurization.  Goat’s milk. Sheep milk. If you want a kind of milk, you can generally find it. What they don’t have is half-and-half and other concoctions like that. You can get your milk at 05, 1.5%, or 3.7%.

It’s used liberally in food too. Decadent creamy sauces, rich risotto, velvety polenta, and smooth whipped potatoes are served with nearly every meal. And don’t forget the cheese. Brined cheese, in particular, is very popular, and they don’t skimp on it. If you get a salad that has cheese, you get big whopping slices of it, an amount that I’d normally get for an entire week of Greek salads back home in one delicious dish.

But that isn’t all. Yogurt, sour cream, and kefir were all developed as ways to get a little more life from your dairy products. Cheese in brine can last for up to a year in a barrel in your cold room. Finding ways to use these products will add richness and flavor to your menus, even in hard times.

Bread really IS the staff of life.

It’s pretty rare to have a meal here that isn’t served with fresh, delicious bread. The great thing about bread is that it’s filling and provides you with energy, much like our discussion of carbs above. It’s inexpensive, particularly if you’re making it yourself.

And that’s another thing. When I say bread, I’m not talking about those icky cellophane bags from the grocery store shelf. I’m talking about bread that will actually mold in 3 days, and believe me, that’s the kind you want. It shows that every single iota of nutrition hasn’t been filtered out by a processing plant. They sell that kind of bread, but it very clearly says on the label, “TOAST” because Europeans don’t believe it’s fit for any other purpose.

You can make a dish of soup or stew go a whole lot further if you put a rustic loaf of bread on the table with it, and people will look at the meal in a completely different way with this simple addition. So, not only is it filling – it’s also the difference between something that seems sparse and something that makes people excited to sit down for the meal.

Sip on this.

How do you spot the American in the restaurant?

They’ve got a soda pop in front of them.

Sure, these countries have Coca-Cola and local sodas available, but most commonly, local folks drink the following:

• Water (still or sparkling)
• Coffee/tea
• Beer
• Wine

Going back in time, aside from the sparkling water, these are pretty traditional drinks. As a prepper, these are drinks you can acquire, store, or make. And if you stop buying fruity drinks and soda pop, your screaming grocery budget will thank you.

Simple is better.

When the ingredients are high-quality and best of all, fresh, you don’t NEED to be fancy. They’ll speak for themselves. Maybe add a few seasonings like herbs or sliced jalapenos, but you don’t need tons of added “stuff” or dips. Salad dressing is, most of the time, oil and vinegar that you put on yourself at the table. I was a bit confused as to why all my salads were dry until I realized this. Some salads don’t even need dressing due to the fresh and fabulous ingredients.

I’ve never eaten so much fresh parsley and oregano in my entire life. Back home, we use it mostly as a little garnish, but here it’s chopped up and used liberally to add freshness to a dish.

You can order a bowl of strawberries at a restaurant, and they’re just plain, delicious sliced berries with no syrup or whipped cream. Fresh sliced veggies have chopped herbs and a drizzle of high-quality olive oil. Carbs are topped with butter and black pepper.

If your food is good enough, it can stand on its own. Meals don’t need to be five courses of fancy. A delicious main dish and simple buttered potatoes with a side of fresh veggies is filling and delicious. And there’s nary a Lipton Sidekicks saucy pasta or rice in sight. There aren’t any additives. It’s like stuff your Grandma would’ve served your Grandpa before our kitchens became experiments in industrial food.

Could it be time to rethink the meals you serve?

Traditional Food for thought

Over here, you don’t see a lot of vegans and vegetarians. Nobody I’ve encountered eats low-carb or grain-free, or dairy-free. In fact, if you try and order those types of meals in restaurants, they’ll look at you oddly. They’ll nod, and sometimes they’ll try to accommodate you (but not always – there’s a culture of you’ll-get-what-you-get here). I’ve certainly loosened up and simply try to go with the flow and not be too picky.

These things aren’t particularly “foreign” either. They just go back to a time that is largely forgotten in most of the US. This is how our grandparents ate before food became an industrialized product. We, as preppers, are all about the throwbacks – perhaps we need to uncomplicate food and revisit the past.

I hope this missive about traditional food inspires you to look at your diet a little differently if this isn’t how you eat right now. I know that I fully intend to bring home recipes and ideas that I’ve collected, as I’ve done over the years after being influenced by my time in Mexico and other places. Perhaps some of these foods will make their way to your own tables or give you some ideas for your garden goodies.

Do you eat traditional food? What are some of your favorites? How about foods from other countries or cultures? Can you see how you might apply some of this to preparedness? Let’s discuss it in the comments section.

About Daisy

Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, adventure-seeking, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites.  1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty; 2)  The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived; and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. Her work is widely republished across alternative media and she has appeared in many interviews.

Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 12 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at SelfRelianceand Survival.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.

Article cross-posted from The Organic Prepper.

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In the video, he discusses the blatant racism being proudly directed toward white people, a topic I recently addressed myself in this article. I received some comments telling me that I was racist just for suggesting that racism was being directed toward white people and that such a thing wasn’t possible. I was attacked for “whining” and for “being a Karen.” For the record, calling someone a “Karen” is a racial and sexist slur. It just means if you are white and a woman, you should sit down, shut up, and take it, no matter what.

But I digress.

You can watch the video right here. It’s only 16 minutes and it’s very worthwhile.

We’ve all seen this.

Over the past years, it’s become more and more acceptable to denigrate people for the color of their skin, at least if that color is white. It’s become okay to write them off, to wish violence on them, to shame them, and to call them slurs like “Q-tip” or “mayo monsters.” Imagine if this was done to any other race. I’m going to be denounced again for defending white people and I guess, do what you’ve got to do to justify your behavior to yourself.

But what’s worse is that this attitude is infecting the way our children are treated. It’s affecting their education and their opportunities. We’re watching segregation in action just 69 years after Brown vs. the Board of Education ended that horrible practice. There are many spaces in educational institutions where white students are not allowed to be. There are events that white students are not allowed to attend. A black student at UVA unleashed her fury on the fact that there were “too many” white students in the multi-cultural center. Cornell University has a rock-climbing class that is only open to minority students. An elementary school in Washington banned white students from a mentor program and a “safe space” club. Berkeley banned white students from using common areas in off-campus housing.

Why are we replaying some of the worst parts of America’s recent history and just targeting another group?

It’s not okay, not by any stretch of the imagination.

But outlets like TikTok and Buzzfeed seem to be obsessed with promoting the theory that you “can’t oppress the oppressor” and that there’s no such thing as racism against white people. They make it seem like every person of the younger generation feels this way. They make it seem like every person of color feels this way.

But it’s simply not true.

Responses to “What Are We Doing to White People?”

I’ve selected some responses to Cheon’s original video.

Jamel AKA Jamal has a channel that is usually dedicated to fun reaction videos, but he took a serious turn with this one. He seems like a stand-up guy.

The gentleman at DependTV (sorry, I’m not sure of his name, but I love his motto of “facts over feelings”) was likewise appalled by what has been acceptable and calls it out for the bullying behavior that it is.

Lou Valentino, who describes himself as “a mixed-race man who grew up in the hood,” says that “Hatred toward anyone or any race is not ok” in this video.

The Cartier Brothers watched the video together and were visibly uncomfortable with the clips of folks denigrating white people.

I think the video that I got the most interesting information and response from was Amala Ekpunobi’s take below. If you aren’t subscribed to her channel, I really recommend it.

In summary, basically everyone thinks it’s wrong to do this.

The majority aren’t hateful.

In my opinion, these people are the ones who represent how most of us are feeling. Most people, regardless of skin color, don’t like to see others discriminated against or put down merely because of race. Most of us are not on board with racism, period. I have friends from many different backgrounds, one of the awesome perks of my job, and none of them, from any race, find this acceptable.

Remember this the next time you see one of those outrageous videos espousing hatred for white people. Show these videos above to the young folks in your life. Just because the media is trying to stir up animosity and make us hate each other, it doesn’t mean that we need to take the bait.

The answer to racism is not more racism. The answer is kindness, acceptance, and respect. Treat people like fellow humans. Not like black humans, or brown humans, or white humans.

At the end of the day, we are defined by our actions and, to quote Dr. Martin Luther King, “the content of our character.” Terrible things have happened in American history, just like the history of every other country in the world. Don’t go back to darker times to get misplaced revenge on people who had nothing to do with what occurred before.

“How do you like it?” isn’t the answer.

We can’t move forward by looking back. Racism now doesn’t erase racism that took place previously. And yes, discriminating against people based on race, including white people, is racism.

What are your thoughts?

What do you think about these videos and reactions? Have you seen examples of this modern racism in your community? How do you think we can move past the anger and have some unity?

Let’s discuss it

About Daisy

Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, adventure-seeking, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites.  1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty; 2)  The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived; and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. Her work is widely republished across alternative media and she has appeared in many interviews.

Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 12 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at SelfRelianceand Survival.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.

You’d think that this would be a cautionary tale about what the average folks in America want. You’d think this would stop marketing firms in the tracks before making a similar move.

You’d be wrong.

It has people saying, “What on earth are they thinking?” as it happens again and again. That’s what this article is all about. What they’re thinking. Because “go woke, go broke” is not actually as clear-cut as we might think. The apparent suicide missions may not be quite as deadly as expected.

The conclusions in this article may not be popular. But when I begin researching to answer a question I’ve posed, I have an obligation to share my findings honestly, whether I like those findings or not.

Since the Bud Light fiasco, one company after another has followed suit.

Since that ill-considered partnership, it seems like huge companies are following Anheuser Busch off the exact same cliff in a mission of corporate suicide.

• Actually, it started before the Bud Light campaign. Notably, Hershey’s celebrated International Woman’s Day by putting a photo of a person who was not born a woman on a candy bar wrapper with a label that said Her/She.
• Calvin Klein, a company well known for suggestive ads featuring buff, sculpted models in provactive poses, changed course with an ad that appeared in 2022 but has recently resurfaced. This time, they advertised their bras and undergarments with a “pre-surgery” transgender person with a beard and breasts that had not yet been removed at the time of the shoot.
• Nike immediately partnered with Mulvaney, a biological male, to advertise sports bras and women’s athletic wear. Many women were outraged since this took away promotional opportunities for biological female athletes. As well, Mulvaney’s clip was far from athletic.

To be clear, I’m not picking on Mulvaney. The TikToker just happens to be the paid partner in more than one of these controversies. Most people who make a living as an influencer would accept a lucrative offer. I don’t endorse violence or hatred toward those who have made choices I don’t understand. It’s the offer itself with which I take issue.

• Miller, owned by Molson-Coors, quickly came into the spotlight after Anheuser Busch with an ad apologizing for using women in bikinis in previous advertising campaigns. This ad was actually aired in March, before the Bud Light fiasco. Molson-Coors claims the ad was satirical and stood behind their marketing person.
• Soon came an ad from Adidas featuring an unnamed, very obviously biological male model in a women’s swimsuit. The advertisement drew backlash for “erasing women” and resulted in an outcry for a “Bud Light moment,” referring to the beer boycott.
• Not to be outdone, North Face launched a campaign with a drag queen for their “summer of Pride” outdoor gear.
• Most recently, Target is taking fire for its Pride Month line-up. To be clear, Target has had a Pride Month marketing campaign for as long as I can remember, so the concept itself is not new nor is it directly related to the other campaigns. This year may have been a bridge too far with a unisex “tuck-friendly” swimsuit in adult sizes in a style usually worn by women and a line of Pride clothing for children, including a onesie for infants. Target has since moved the products out of their former front-and-center locations, citing employee safety concerns. The company lost 9 billion dollars in value in the span of a week.

What in the world is going on here?

Are all the companies losing money?

While Bud and Target have suffered losses in the billions, Rolling Stone assures us that actually, the woke do not go broke in this article. At the same time, other pundits say that these companies are taking a financial hit. The Street also says that the ESG crowd is losing money hand over fist. However, it’s important to note that the LBGT community accounts for 3.9 trillion dollars in retail revenue, making this a demographic to be reckoned with for marketing decisions.

Just because they aren’t going broke doesn’t mean that it’s what most folks want in their brands. Most of us just want to wear shoes, drink beer, and browse Joanna Gaines’s cute household stuff. We really don’t want moral lessons of tolerance along with our shopping.

However, the latest Rasmussen Report tells us that the majority of Americans are turned off by woke marketing.

…consumers view woke companies negatively for the following reasons :

1: Pandering. Companies feel the need to speak out about every social issue as they hit the headlines but this comes across as exploitation, shallow, and what is sometimes referred to as ‘virtue signaling’, which is received as being inauthentic.

2: A holier than thou attitude. Many people don’t want corporations to educate them on how to behave and live their lives. That’s a very personal thing ingrained in their value system. A preachy company selling butter can come across as patronising and condescending. Consumers just think, ‘who the hell are you?’

3: Misrepresentation. Don’t just replace your customer base in adverts to tick the boxes for diversity and inclusion (this is coming from an ethnic minority). It can feel forced and calculated when brands go out of their way to make sure every group of people is represented equally because in a non-discriminatory world you would expect to see a typical advert proportionally representing the population of a country, region or target audience.

But due to investment groups like BlackRock pushing agendas, you can expect to keep seeing these confounding advertising partnerships on your screens and in your stores.

A quick recap of CEI scores

CEI stands for Corporate Equality Index. The next two sections of this article are a recap from a previous article.

A company can receive up to 100 points in the CEI rating system. Here’s how those points are earned.

1. Workforce Protections (5 points possible)

• Policy includes sexual orientation and gender identity/gender identity or expression for all operations (5)

2. Inclusive Benefits (50 points possible)

To secure full credit for benefits criteria, each benefit must be available to all benefits-eligible U.S. employees. In areas where more than one health insurance plan is available, at least one inclusive plan must be available.

• Equivalency in same- and different-sex spousal medical and soft benefits (No points awarded)
• Equivalency in same- and different-sex domestic partner medical and soft benefits (10)
• Equivalency in spousal and domestic partner family formation benefits regardless of sex. (10)
• Equal health coverage for transgender individuals without exclusion for medically necessary care (25)
• LGBTQ+ Benefits Guide (5)

3. Supporting an Inclusive Culture (25 points possible)

a. Four LGBTQ+ ​Internal Training and Accountability Efforts (5)
Businesses must demonstrate a firm-wide, sustained and accountable commitment to diversity and cultural competency, including at least four of the following elements:

• New hire training clearly states that the nondiscrimination policy includes gender identity and sexual orientation and provides definitions or scenarios illustrating the policy for each
• Supervisors undergo training that includes gender identity and sexual orientation as discrete topics (may be part of a broader training), and provides definitions or scenarios illustrating the policy for each
• Integration of gender identity and sexual orientation in professional development, skills-based or other leadership training that includes elements of diversity and/or cultural competency
• Integration of intersectionality in professional development, skills-based, or other training (required)
• Senior management/executive performance measures include LGBTQ diversity metrics

b. One LGBTQ+ Data Collection Effort (5)

• Anonymous employee engagement or climate surveys conducted on an annual or biennial basis allow employees the option to identify as LGBTQ+
• Data collection forms that include employee race, ethnicity, gender, military and disability status — typically recorded as part of employee records — include optional questions on sexual orientation and gender identity.
• Board (or other governing body) member demographic data collection include the option for individuals to report their sexual orientation and gender identity or self-identity as LGBTQ+

c. Transgender Inclusion Best Practices (5)

• Gender transition guidelines with supportive restroom, dress code and documentation guidance
• Implementation of the at least one (1) of the following policies or practices
  • Trans-inclusive restroom/facilities policy
  • Gender-neutral dress code
  • Policies/procedures that allow for optional sharing of gender pronouns

d. Employee Group –OR– Diversity Council (10)

4. Corporate Social Responsibility (20 points possible)

a. Five Distinct Efforts of Outreach or Engagement to Broader LGBTQ+ Community (15)
Businesses must demonstrate ongoing LGBTQ+ specific engagement that extends across the firm, including at least five of the following:

• LGBTQ employee recruitment efforts with demonstrated reach of LGBTQ+ applicants (required documentation may include a short summary of the event or an estimation of the number of candidates reached)
• Supplier diversity program with demonstrated effort to include certified LGBTQ+ suppliers
• Marketing or advertising to LGBTQ consumers (e.g.: advertising with LGBTQ+ content, advertising in LGBTQ media or sponsoring LGBTQ organizations and events)
• Philanthropic support of at least one LGBTQ+ organization or event (e.g.: financial, in kind or pro bono support)
• Demonstrated public support for LGBTQ+ equality under the law through local, state or federal legislation or initiatives

b. LGBTQ+ Corporate Social Responsibility

Contractor/supplier non-discrimination standards AND Philanthropic Giving Guidelines (5)

4. Responsible citizenship (-25)
Employers will have 25 points deducted from their score for a large-scale official or public anti-LGBTQ blemish on their recent records. Scores on this criterion are based on information that has come to HRC’s attention related to topics including but not limited to: undue influence by a significant shareholder calculated to undermine a business’s employment policies or practices related to its LGBTQ employees; directing corporate charitable contributions to organizations whose primary mission includes advocacy against LGBTQ equality; opposing shareholder resolutions reasonably aimed at encouraging the adoption of inclusive workplace policies; revoking inclusive LGBTQ policies or practices; or engaging in proven practices that are contrary to the business’s written LGBTQ employment policies.

Now, let me be clear about my own opinions here before I go further. I’m not a conservative. I’m really rather ambivalent about people’s identities and orientations as long as it’s an issue for consenting adults. I know this differs from many in my audience, and I also support the rights of people to not engage in things that are an affront to their own religious or personal doctrines. That’s the beauty of America. (Well, it was, anyway.)

However, the above FORCES “public support” of something a person might not support at all. And I am NOT okay with that.

I’m very live-and-let-live, but I expect the same courtesy.

So why do corporations comply?

First of all, money.

Of course.

The CEI is a lesser-known part of the burgeoning ESG (Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance) “ethical investing” movement increasingly pushed by the country’s top three investment firms. ESG funds invest in companies that oppose fossil fuels, push for unionization, and stress racial and gender equity over merit in hiring and board selection.

As a result, some American CEOs are more concerned about pleasing BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street Bank — who are among the top shareholders of most American publicly-traded corporations (including Nike, Anheuser-Busch and Kate Spade) — than they are about irritating conservatives, numerous sources told The Post.

So investor money is more important than consumer money.

But that’s not all. Companies that don’t comply could lose everything.

“The big fund managers like BlackRock all embrace this ESG orthodoxy in how they apply pressure to top corporate management teams and boards and they determine, in many cases, executive compensation and bonuses and who gets re-elected or re-appointed to boards,” entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who is running for president as a Republican and authored “Woke Inc.: Inside America’s Social Justice Scam,” told The Post. “They can make it very difficult for you if you don’t abide by their agendas.”

In 2018, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, who oversees assets worth $8.6 trillion and has been called the “face of ESG,” wrote a now-infamous letter to CEOs titled “A Sense of Purpose” that pushed a “new model of governance” in line with ESG values.

“Society is demanding that companies, both public and private, serve a social purpose,” Fink wrote. “To prosper over time, every company must not only deliver financial performance, but also show how it makes a positive contribution to society.”

Fink also let it be known “that if a company doesn’t engage with the community and have a sense of purpose “it will ultimately lose the license to operate from key stakeholders.”

It’s not just about, “Go woke, go broke.” It’s about, “Don’t go woke, go under.”

The message is clear that if you don’t comply, you will be destroyed.

So…these companies, in fact, probably aren’t going to go broke.

The power of the boycott may not be what it once was. Cancel culture seems only truly to ruin a business if the liberals do it. There’s so much ESG investment money that our effect is somewhat limited.

But that doesn’t mean you should support businesses with which you vehemently disagree.

At this point, we still have choices. We don’t have to buy Nike footwear or drink Bud Light beer. We’re not required to shop at Target when we need cleaning supplies. We can put our money where our values are. However, we probably shouldn’t expect this to cause a change in the direction these companies are taking. What this does for people who choose not to spend money with these companies is it strengthens their independence. Folks who don’t want to support an agenda have no choice but to seek out other options. The free-est thing you can do is to walk away from things with which you disagree.

There’s a culture war afoot.

There is a war going on. It’s a culture war. Even those of us who don’t consider ourselves right or left politically are being put in positions we don’t like.

The language is heated. One side is accused of being fill-in-the-blank-phobic, hateful, extreme MAGA, and intolerant. The other side is deemed to be Satanist, perverted, hedonistic, regressive left, snowflakes, and ultra-feminist. You have to align with your “side” in an all-or-nothing way, or suddenly, you are called an insulting name.

It’s hard to imagine any place people could meet in the middle anymore when the very being of the “other side” is met with disgust and scorn. And that’s the least of it – we’re getting closer every day to violence. In fact, Target said that’s why they pulled their Pride displays – because of the safety of their workers. Folks have had enough, and that’s true for both sides. At some point, it won’t stop with words and boycotts.

I’ve often written about the power of the “people holding the microphones,” and this is no different. When the advertising, retail, media, and entertainment industries are all held hostage by CEI scores, we will watch our country continue to divide and devolve. A lot of folks are quietly saying no and I think this will grow.

You have to wonder what America is going to look like by the time a pendulum swing occurs. Will we even recognize it by then?

What are your thoughts on all of this? What are your thoughts on these advertising campaigns? Are you surprised that the boycotts have not halted this marketing trend in its tracks? Have you stopped supporting any brands? Do you feel investment groups and the CEI have more power than consumers? If so, what do you think can be done about it?

Let’s discuss it in the comments section.

About Daisy

Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, adventure-seeking, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites.  1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty; 2)  The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived; and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. Her work is widely republished across alternative media and she has appeared in many interviews.

Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 12 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at SelfRelianceand Survival.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.

Article cross-posted from The Organic Prepper.

But I went to read the article anyway, and I’m glad I did. Because Duhamel really does seem a lot like one of us (except with a crap ton of money). Here’s what I learned.

Who is Josh Duhamel?

Duhamel is a long-time fixture in Hollywood. According to his bio on IMBD:

Joshua David Duhamel was born in Minot, North Dakota. His mother, Bonny L., is a retired high school teacher, and the Executive Director of Minot’s Downtown Business & Profession Association, and his father, Larry Duhamel, is an advertisement salesman. Josh has three younger sisters: Ashlee, McKenzee, and Kassidy. His ancestry is German, and smaller amounts of Norwegian, French-Canadian, English, Irish, and Austrian (his last name is very common among Francophones in the world). Before his acting career, the football player studied biology and earned his Bachelor’s degree at Minot State University with the intention of pursuing dentistry.

He’s had a reasonably illustrious career.

Duhamel can be seen in Vince Gilligan and David Shore’s CBS series, “Battle Creek.” He is in production on four films: “Lost In The Sun,” “Bravetown,” “The Wrong Stuff,” and “Beyond Deceit.”

Duhamel also starred alongside Hillary Swank and Emmy Rossum in the George C. Wolfe directed drama, “You’re Not You.” Duhamel also starred opposite Julianne Hough in Lasse Hallstrom’s “Safe Haven,” a drama based on the best-selling novel by Nicholas Sparks and the thriller “Scenic Route,” which tells the story of two friends stranded in the desert. In addition, Duhamel was seen in the star-studded, ensemble comedy “Movie 43” alongside Emma Stone, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Kate Winslet, Richard Gere among many others. Co-directed by Peter Farrelly and Patrik Forsberg, the film features various intertwining, raunchy tales.

Other projects include Garry Marshall’s “New Year’s Eve” alongside Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert DeNiro, Halle Berry, and Hilary Swank and Michael Bay’s “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” where he reprised his role of Captain William Lennox for the third installment of the franchise. Additional film credits include the romantic comedy “Life as We Know It” alongside Katherine Heigl, “Ramona and Beezus,” “When in Rome” and “The Romantics.” On television, Josh is best known for his role as Danny McCoy on the NBC crime drama “Las Vegas.” Additionally, he lent his voice to Nickelodeon’s Emmy Award-winning animated series “Fanboy & Chum Chum” and starred in several seasons of the long-running ABC soap opera “All My Children,” in which he received three consecutive Daytime Emmy nominations.

He was formerly married to the musician Fergie from the Black-Eyed Peas, with whom he has a son, and is currently married to Audra Mai.

Sounds typically Hollywood, right? Actually, wrong.

How he got started prepping

According to the aforementioned article, he was inspired to start prepping when he read Patriots, by James Wesley Rawles.

I read this book called Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse years ago, and it freaked me out a little bit.

And then there was a movie or book about these guys who had this little community where everybody had their own specialty. One was weapons, one was canning, one was construction, one was medical. And if you didn’t have something to bring to the group, you were out. I’m not saying I’m that crazy about it, but it is a comforting feeling knowing that I could survive out there.

That’s not actually so different from how a lot of us got started. I know quite a few people who were inspired by Rawles’s book or by One Second After. We read about this fictional world and say to ourselves, “No, that will not be my family if I can help it.”

His purpose will ring relatable. When asked why he is working so hard on his retreat, he said, “I’m building something so if things do go south, I have a place to take my family.”

Duhamel has a bug-out retreat he’s built over the years.

Also, like many of us, his retreat didn’t emerge, fully stocked and ready overnight. The article is peppered with prepping terminology that did my heart good to read it.

It started with one little cabin in the woods with no electricity and no water. We would go and we didn’t wanna stay for more than a day or two. You could tell the mice had overrun it. It was disgusting.

Then, the cabin on the property next to that one went up for sale, and I bought it for like nothing; this beautiful little idyllic cabin on the water. Suddenly I had 54 acres out there. So I had two cabins, one with no electricity or water. They both have wells and electricity now, but they’re both really small.

We shaped the land. We created trails through it. I’m actually growing crops out there.

The property started out rustic, with outhouses, no power, and no running water. Over the years, he’s improved things with flushing toilets, new wells (that can of course be used manually if need be), a water filtration system, and Starlink internet. Like any prepper worth his salt, he left the outhouses  “for nostalgic reasons,” which we all know, of course, means, “just in case.”

Duhamel is also working on his skills.

Lest it sound like Duhamel thinks he can buy his way through the apocalypse, he’s also spending time learning skills. Here’s a snippet from the interview:

We shaped the land. We created trails through it. I’m actually growing crops out there.

What kind of crops?

Well, we started with clover and chicory and stuff, mostly just to feed the deer. It was my first time ever tilling, you know, clearing a space of land and tilling it and seeding it. This year I’m gonna grow pumpkins and corn.

Why would you want to feed the deer?

It’s called a food plot. My idea is that I want to be able to hunt a deer. I’m not a hunter by any means, but I have this crazy fixation on what happens if sh*t hits the fan in LA and I have to take my family out there and live off the land.

I’m working on those skills. I wouldn’t call myself an expert or a survivalist by any means, but I’m getting better at it…

…You mentioned hunting. Are you also studying how to butcher an animal?

Yeah, that would be part of my getting a deer. I’ve never shot a deer. I tried last year with a bow. It was totally unsuccessful. I wanna learn how to actually dress a deer and take the meat and freeze it and have the ability to feed my family if I need to. It’s not anything I did growing up. I don’t like the idea of hurting animals, I really don’t. But I’m OK with it if it’s allowing my family to eat.

…How long could you survive out there without any extra supplies?

I mean, we could live out there just by fishing…

…We’re so deep in the woods that, especially in the winter, if you run out of any of these things and you get snowed in, you’re suddenly Jack Nicholson in The Shining.

His Instagram has photos of him learning skills such as this little series of a chair he built.

Will Josh Duhamel survive the zombie apocalypse?

I’m not saying that this guy is the be-all and end-all survival guru. But I like that he’s living a different life than a lot of his counterparts in Hollywood. I like that he’s learning the same skills the rest of us are, and I respect that he’s taking steps to keep his loved ones safe and secure. It’s a nice reminder that preppers come in all shapes and sizes, from every walk of life, and many different occupations.

Maybe if a few more people came out of the bunker, we preppers wouldn’t look quite so crazy after all. Maybe by making survival skills cool, we can take back our country, one self-reliant person at a time.

So, there’s your light-hearted entertainment post for a summer Saturday morning. Sometimes we need a respite from the daily doom and gloom.

What are your thoughts? Do you think Duhamel’s set-up sounds reasonably down-to-earth? Are you surprised that this fellow in Hollywood is out there preparing to live off his land? Do you think there are more folks than we realize who are getting ready for what may come?

Let’s discuss it in the comments section.

About Daisy

Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, adventure-seeking, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites.  1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty; 2)  The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived; and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. Her work is widely republished across alternative media and she has appeared in many interviews.

Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 12 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at SelfRelianceand Survival.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.