Forget the creeks, and streams, and the rivers, and you have your own well. All of those can have problems for any number of reasons. Creeks can change course as can a river and a stream. So contaminated you cannot use them. I have seen several wells dry up after an earthquake, it is dry, just like that.
You might not be able to get to the creek or whatever for a lot of reasons.

Right now how much water do you have? Right now! 20 gallons?
50 gallons? 200 gallons, doubtful , but I believe that is the least you should have stored. How many people in your household? 2 ? 4? , it will take, at the least, a gallon a day per person, includes eating, cooking and a sponge bath. That is very limiting. The real number will be 3 to 5 gallons and that is being conserative. You can see where I feel 200 gallons is the least you should have stored.

In a true SHTF situation, or whatever your SHTF deal is , you have no idea how long it may last.
Forget that for a minute. Depending on where you live, the cost of water is going up at a steady rate. Even in places like Los Angeles, Ca. ,  it used to be cheap. Not anymore. And it is getting hard to get. L.A has to make deals for water.
Anyone who does any research about water will find that water is a huge problem in most places in the world. Including the U.S.A.
But we can, with a little effort, and spending under 500 bucks ( to start with) create some of our own water, enough to supplement by a large margin , our consumption of water from the tap. What is it? Rainwater. What do you do with it? Most divert it away from their home, most cities divert it to so called flood channels. Wrong.

A 20 foot by 20 foot building, the size of the average two car garage, can harvest 231 gallons if it rains one inch. So for every inch during the year it adds up. Times that by 12 inches.
Look at the size of your house, then look at the roof, many times the roof overhang is anywhere from a one foot to two feet, and even more in some places. So that 20×20 bulding might be 25 x 25 feet. Huge difference. Your other out buildings, your house, could have a footprint that is 60 x 80, and more… You do the math. Huge water being wasted. Or to be harvested. By you and for your family. Of  course this can be used to water your veggie garden and your animals as well , but that is another article.

Gutters capture the rain and send it to the downspouts , and it goes into the street.

Stop. Yep,  stop right there. That is over.

You can buy a downspout diverter for under 30 bucks. You can buy rain barrels, 55 gallon jobs that the diverter will fill up, get 10 of them. Different spouts can be “tapped” for this water. It can be stored in the barrels. Place them in different locations. They can be modified very easily for spouts, spigots and pumps if need be.
You can get more eloborate, with a cistern. Or two of them. Even a small one the size of a fish pond in your backyard can hold  a few thousand gallons easy. But to start with the barrels work very well.
Rain water should be everyones project.

You can see how you could capture enough water to sustain yourselves, if need be , over a years time. It has been, and is being done in many places in the U.S. Some cities even have programs for capturing and harvesting the rain water.
There are many things you can do in your own yard and surrounding areas.
I feel this is so important that everyone should invest in at least a partial system. Even if it rains only 12 inches a year , you can capture most of it  from your buildings and divert it to your cisterns and holding tanks, you are a winner.
Stop wasting it and use it like food. Would you throw out all that food? I think not. So look at it like it is food. It is your life.
We all have our own personnal well, we just have to do something about it.
And it is easy. Try it. Start this weekend if not before.

Oh and yes you can drink rainwater, it is fine. But go ahead and filter it if you want to or feel you need to. Or do your own research about rainwater so you feel good about it.

My perspective is that we can all master Boy Scout skills, and we should. In addition, we should all strive to become better human beings, and become an asset to our family, community and nation. This requires discipline, patience, and study.

I am not a pessimist. It has long seemed that our society has lost its grounding, lost its ability to think, and sinks deeper and deeper into sectarianism, greed, and lust. (Hey guys, I’m not saying I’m a saint! but please bear with me!) On the other hand, there are countless guidelines and reference points that show the way to anyone awake enough who desires a way through the fog that our society has created.

The Golden Rule and the Ten Commandments, for example. These are excellent practical survival guidelines that, if followed, provide us with emotional and spiritual stability and a sense of what to do and not to do.

So my perspective is that the higher ideals that we should learn, and live, are in fact, real “survival tools.” Let me know what you think.

There are other guidelines as well, coming from all corners of the globe.

For example, I recently obtained a copy of Miyamoto Musashi’s A Book of Five Rings. Musashi was perhaps the most renowned of all Japanese Samurai. An undefeated warrior, as well as a poet and artist, he wrote his book in 1645 while living in a cave.

He divides his lessons into the Ground book, the Water book, the Fire book, the Wind book, and the Book of the Void. The Way of which Musashi writes is the Way of Strategy, and all of his books are chiefly concerned with Timing. In the Ground book, provides 9 guidelines, adding “This is the Way for men who want to learn my strategy.”

1. Do not think dishonestly.
2. The Way is in training.
3. Become acquainted with every art.
4. Know the Ways of all professions.
5. Distinguish between gain and loss in worldly matters.
6. Develop intuitive judgement and understanding for everything.
7. Perceive those things which cannot be seen.
8. Pay attention even to trifles.
9. Do nothing which is of no use.

These are excellent guidelines to study and to apply to any profession.

That being said, on his website, Samuel has a wonderful article on black nightshade.

In that article, Samuel’s experience and research is congruent to what we here at Dirttime feel about this plant. It is amazing how many times we’ve been assaulted by different folks for teaching that indeed it is edible. Personally, I’ve been eating the ripe berries of this delectable plant for over a decade. The others here at Dirttime for longer than that.

It is a welcome breath of fresh air for someone to finally do all the research and gather as much data as possible and put in print their findings

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Solanum nigrum, S. americanum, S. ptychanthum, S. douglasii, and other closely allied species
Solanaceae – Nightshade Family

The very word “nightshade” causes many foragers to shudder with apprehension. It seems that everybody has heard of “deadly nightshade” and written off the entire group as too scary to contend with. How lucky we are that our ancestors were more confident in their botanical skills—for the amazing nightshade family has given us many cultivated fruits and vegetables, including potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, bell peppers, hot peppers, ground cherries, and tomatillos.

Black nightshade is a common weed found on all the inhabited continents. It has a long and well-established history as a food source for numerous cultures around the globe. In fact, it is among the most widely used and well-documented wild foods in the world, rivaled in this respect only by a few other ubiquitous weeds such as lamb’s quarters, amaranth, and stinging nettle. There are probably over two billion people for whom the black nightshade is a regular or occasional item of diet. Yet in the predominantly “white” parts of the world—Europe and North America—the Solanum nigrum complex is widely believed to be extremely poisonous. The contradiction is stark, confusing, and quite amazing.

For the rest of the article please visit

http://foragersharvest.com/black-nightshade-2/

I get a lot of questions in regard to the best way to package a kit, and my first question is always, “How do you plan to carry it.”

I always teach that you don’t have to remember component groups, just those activities that you will have to perform in a survival situation.  Activities such as starting a fire, building a shelter, navigating back to civilization, or signaling for help.  If you include items in your kit to perform these activities, you will be covered.

When it comes to packaging you kit, you need to have an idea of how you will carry it.  After all, if you aren’t carrying it, it won’t do you much good.  Therefore, you should think about how it would be convenient for you to feel comfortable carrying it every time you go out hiking, camping, exploring, etc.

Packaging a survival kit is important.  You want to feel comfortable with it on you.  You can carry it on your person, such as in a pocket or small waist or fanny pack, or in a back pack, etc.   You also have to think outside the box.  Don’t get caught up in how other people package their kit.

There are many ways to package a kit.  Keep an open mind.  It is your kit and you should package and carry it in a fashion that makes you comfortable.  I have built kits in waterproof pouches, which can easily be carried in a pocket.  I have also found that various sized mini tackle boxes can be use to build survival kits in.  They are hinged with sections of different sizes on both sides, and as long as you select and configure your components to the size of the sections, a well organized kit results.  Although not as compact as a waterproof pouch or tin, the individual components are easier to see and select when needed.

This is a larger plastic tackle box which measures 4-5/8” long x 4” wide x 1-3/8” thick. Although larger that the small tackle box, you can see that you can fit a lot more components in it. The mirror again sets between the two sides when hinged closed.

I have taught building survival kits in various size tins, because you can always use the tin to boil water in for purification.  But as long as you have a device to boil water in you can package anyway you like.  When I use a soft kit, I make sure I have a folded bread tin, or folded up aluminum foil to fabricate a vessel for boiling water.

This is a mini kit built into an Altoids tin. Although small it holds all the required components for a survival kit, and fits into a shirt pocket.

I have even made mini survival kits in conjunction with a neck knife.  Using the original Kydex sheath, and adding some simple leather pouches, you would be surprised what you end up with.  As you can see, once you begin to think outside the box, you can become rather creative in the packaging of your survival kit.  Your kit has to work for you, and you should always have it with you.  So package it for your convenience.

As always, be prepared to survive.

Most maufactures have a coding system. But in todays world almost all of them use a ” best by date” . Keep in mind, “best by” does not mean time to  throw it out. It is only declining in some flavor and nutrients, and maybe the color might change in some products. The decline is slow and so it does not affect the quality all that much. You might not even notice even several months beyond the use by date.
My opinion only, is that it is partly a greed factor on the manufacturers part to get you to throw out the product and buy more.
None of these dates are required by US federal law. Except baby formulas.

A rough guide line is:
Canned goods should be stored at or as close as you can get to 40 degrees, in the dark. Not to the freezing point of 32 degrees, so,  35,  36 , 42 degrees is okay.
High acid canned goods, like tomatoes, being one of the most common, are good for 12 to 18 months, sometimes longer, but not by much. Grapefruit, and pineapples fall into the high acid group as well.
Low acid, is meat, any poultry, and fish, and vegetables can keep from 2 to 5 years , if the conditiona are controlled.
Once you open the can all bets are off. So it is best to consume the contents as soon as you can. Cooking the food will make it last longer. .
So as you can see it is wise to rotate your goods and mark them yourself , so at a glance you know what  is what and when.
Some go as far as to make up a menu far in advance that include these”stored” canned goods.
Peaches in a can that are cold is one of my favorites.
Now start stocking up. Buy one or two extra cans of whatever you like and mark them. It will add up very fast. Have fun doing it, it is like money under your mattress.

Some time ago, I read an interesting story in a past issue of the Forest Voice, newsletter of the Forest Preservation Society of Southern California.

It seems that some centuries ago during an outbreak of bubonic plague in France, four thieves managed to loot the empty plague-ridden homes without contracting the dreaded plague. That immediately caught my attention, since our society is probably ripe for such an outbreak of disease, for a variety of reasons. If a widespread outbreak of plague were to erupt here in Los Angeles — or anywhere in the U.S. for that matter — would we realistically be able to rely on doctors and hospitals? Some Middle Ages accounts tell us that during some of the worst plague outbreaks, the dead outnumbered the living, and the dead could not be buried fast enough. If that were to happen here, to us, who would operate the 911 phone line? Would the paramedics be able to handle the emergency? Not likely.

Anyway, these four thieves were arrested by policemen, and were brought before the French judge in Marseilles. Wondering aloud, the judge asked how it was that these four thieves managed to resist the plague, especially since they had been in and out of so many plague-infested homes.

“We drink and wash with this vinegar preparation every few hours,” they answered. The judge told them that he’d release them if they revealed their “anti-plague recipe.”

This recipe is recorded in Dian Buchman’s Herbal Medicine book (though there are many recorded variations as well). Buchman writes, “this recipe has been used for centuries, but legend has it that it was discovered during a devastating bubonic plague.” Here’s the recipe so that Dirttimers can be ready:

VINEGAR OF FOUR THIEVES

2 quarts (half gallon) apple cider vinegar
2 T lavendar      2 T rosemary
2 T sage               2 T wormwood
2 T rue                2 T mint
Combine the herbs and steep in vinegar in the sun for two weeks. Strain. Add 2 T. of garlic buds and steep for several days. Remove. To preserve, add 4 oz. of glycerin.

Karin James, the editor of the Forest Voice, told me that the vinegar recipe can be used for washing floors, walls, windows, and will offset smells in the home. It helps to deter bugs if you rinse your hiking gear in it. She also saves the herbs when she strains them out of the vinegar, and places them where ants come into the kitchen. “It works,” she states. “No more ants!”

So why does this work? It would appear that the raw apple cider vinegar is the primary reason — whole books have been written about the health values of such vinegar, and that’s a topic for another day. Also, whole books have been written about the nutritional value of garlic, including antibiotic properties.

In addition, as I reviewed the list of herbs, I noted that rue was included. This is not really a common kitchen herb garden plant, and it is a very potent plant. It is very pungent to smell. My botany teacher, Dr. Leonid Enari, told us that disreputable meat vendors would add rue to meat that was getting too old to sell so that the unsuspecting buyers would not get sick when they eat it! You wouldn’t want to eat meat from such a merchant, but it does tell you that rue is a powerful herb.

More later.

Here’s a little background as quoted from John McCann

“When I returned from the 2nd Annual Pathfinder Gathering, one of my responsibilities as a partner in Dirttime.com was to report back to the other partners in regard to my experience.  I kept going back to a person that so impressed me in regard to the true survivor mentality.  A person who looks past adversity and survives because they adapt to their environment and forge ahead with a “can do” attitude.

During the event, I observed this person baton wood, start fires, work with various knives, attend classes (even when getting to them was difficult), test equipment, and all with little consideration for the problems involved.  This person, no matter what they were doing, or where they were going, did it in an ultra-light wheelchair decked out with all the tools of wilderness survival.

This person truly impressed me and I had no problem relaying this to the other partners.  It had nothing to do with any handicap (not that this person perceived one), it was their attitude towards life.  They knew the cards they were dealt and it wasn’t going to stop them from learning or performing survival techniques or camping out with the best of them!

Therefore, through unanimous decision, the 1st Annual Dirttime.com Scholarship Recipient will be Ryan Davis.  He will receive free admission to the 2011 Dirttime.com Event in California and will receive $1,000.00 towards his travel expenses.  In other words… he will be our guest.  Ryan has accepted the Scholarship and looks forward to attending!”

Ryan’s sheer determination and motivation should be an inspiration to us all.

Dirttime events are the premiere events of the year where primitive, traditional and modern skills unite to give you a week long event filled with education, fun, and exciting times.

Dirttime is an event that attracts some of the premiere subject matter experts in the country who are willing to share and spend time teaching skills that can help you stay alive in a survival situation.

Our events attract individuals and families from all walks of life. When it comes to dirttime, everyone has fun.

For the last three years, Dirttime has been a complete sellout event. And, in celebration of that, we are promising to make Dirttime11 our best event yet, with some new, exciting things happening. We will have new prizes, sponsors, challenges, classes, and other things to help make the learning fun.

Check out all the info here

http://dirttime.com/?page_id=63

The first group usually are those that talk about the in ground solar still, borrow diagrams from old military manuals, and tout their effectiveness.  Many of these people have never built one.

The second group, usually have built one, and not only have determined they don’t work very well, but you lose more water from your body through sweating, than you gain from the still.

However, the Transpiration Bag IS a solar still and IS an effective way to collect water, with very little effort on your part!  All you have to do is carry some large, clear plastic bags and a small amount of cordage in your kit or pack.

The first thing you have to do is find some deciduous trees or bushes (be sure you do not use a poisonous plant – this is when being able to identify specific trees and bushes comes in handy).  The larger the better, as the larger the plant the larger the root system.  It is the roots that gathers the water.  Clear bags work better than colored bags as the sun can shine through the bag.  This allows for photosynthesis, which provides for the transpiration.

I find that the clear trash bags, measuring 30″ x 33″, work well and are inexpensive to purchase and you can carry several in a small space.  It should be noted that the transpiration bags should be setup where they will get the most sun throughout the day.  At our school, we have a large field with a woods line on the north side.  As the sun rises in the east, and sets in the west, it allows the transpiration bags to get continuous sun for most of the day.

You want to pull a bunch of branches together so you can fit as many branches, and leaves, into the size bag you have (the larger the bag the better).  Pull the bag up over the branches and tie the bag off, around the limb, using a small amount of cordage.  Make sure the seal is tight as you do not want any air leaks.  You want one corner of the bag pulled down to have a place for the water to collect.  You can use a small stone to hold this corner down, or you can tie the corner of the bag down to a stake in the ground.

The sun causes the clear bag to heat up which will draw water from the leaves.  This water will evaporate and then condense on the inside walls of the bag.  With the corner of the bag held down lower than the rest of the bag, with the small rock or cordage, the drops of water condensing on the inside walls, will start to travel down the inside wall of the bag and accumulate in the lowered corner.  The transpired water is now purified and ready to drink.

If you take the bag off in order to retrieve the water, you must start all over again.  So,  one way to get the water out of the corner is to use a tube.  You place this in the corner of the bag when you first set it up, and have it exit where you tie the bag to the limb.  However, you must make sure that you seal this tube with a small plug, such as whittled from a piece of wood.

I don’t prefer this technique as the water often has debris, bugs, etc. in the water that accumulates in the corner.  Therefore, we use another technique, whereby you just snip off the very corner of the bag (the corner that is lower for accumulating the water), and fill your container with the water.  You then tie a tight knot in the corner and let the process continue.  You can then filter the water through a bandana, coffee filter, etc., to eliminate debris.

So how much water do you get?  Well, we average between a cup and a quart a day, depending on the sun and cloud cover.  That’s quite a bit of purified water for little effort.  The tree should continue to provide water for 2-3 days, at which point you should move the bags.  This is a very effective, yet effortless, way to collect water in a survival situation.  Give it a try, and be prepared to survive!

Anyone who is interested survival is assaluted with information, from every corner and faction. That guy is an idiot, that one is a jerk, that one doesnt really know what he is doing, that one is too old, that one is too young, that really has no experience. That one really is the guy, that is the best …Really?!
They are all yelling look at me I have the best way to do this or that. I am HIM. Do it my way.
Buy my DVD, my book, my magazine, my methods, my school, etc.
Nothing really wrong with  selling yourself, I feel all survival “experts” have something to offer. However, the bottom line is what you do get out of it. How do you benefit?.
It all comes at us in a huge rush, we are run over with you gotta get this gizmothingynewideaheavywateringmetalthatcutseverythingabdwillfeedyoufor2years.

My suggestion, even if you are an old hand at the survival table, is to set some goals. Again.
“Practical Survival Skills”, that pertain to you and your situation. That is the goal.
Be honest about what you know. Do you “own those skills” . Now comes the hard part, do they really matter?. Are those skills pratical for you and where you live , and what you might have to face. Are you “practising ” in case you get lost hunting? On a hike? or name your problem.
Do your practical survival skills cover you at home. Have you overlooked a skill and learned and practiced a so called skill that is unlikely ever to happen at home?. Or in your car. We cannot predict the future but if you live in the desert dealing with heat and water would be high on my list.

Your goal should be to list what the real “practical survival skills “are that pertain to you and your family.
For most it would be food, water, shelter and protection. Short term and long term. Just those 4 things could keep you busy for years.
Define your goals, for your own “practical survival skills”.
Do you really need to know how to, name it your self. This is you calling you out! You mightbe drawn towards a certain skill because it is cool, but at this mpoint are their other skills that couldbe more important, but seem mundane.
Question yourself about what is practical to you.
List it, write it down. What you come up with is your list. Your list, not someone elses.
Now you can go after those skills. Break it down in sections and learn them until you own the skills.
Then and only then branch out. Question each skill, is it practical for me to spend my money , spend my time and effort for this skill? Maybe not.
Ask questions on the Dirttime forum for some answers. You might be speaking for many others as well. I know you will be.

 Let all the “survival experts ” sell you what they think is good for you
But think twice , is this practical for me. Maybe it is. Maybe not.

Set those goals.
“Practical Survival Skills” geared for you by you.
Never stop learning…