Without Food, You Are Dead

Everyone needs to read the opening dialogue from Ol' Remus at the Woodpile Report this week. He's right. Food is a Weapon that can, has been and will be used against you. There is a reason Bison Prepper is always writing about food first, wheat, calories, wheat, wheat, wheat. Without food, you are dead. End of story. Not to mention the disease and debilitation that comes from malnutrition and starvation. 

I've been thinking about sharing our fall/winter growing plans for a while and the thoughts from Ol' Remus decided for me that today, I had better get with it. We are working on putting most of the garden to bed for the winter. We're in the process of taking down the tomato/pepper/green bean trellises. After they are out of the way Frank will brush hog all of

the plants, including the okra forest, into a type of organic mulch.

Then we'll clean out the chicken house and barn and add that to the garden and till everything in for the winter. If the weather isn't too cold by that time, it usually isn't in our latitude, we will broadcast some winter peas for an edible cover crop. It's good for man and beast.

 
This is the plan for most of the garden anyway. The two ends, east and west are planted with a few more food crops. Not to mention these volunteer squash plants that came up in the yard close to the compost pile. We're enjoying a few last meals of squash. The first frost we had, we covered these plants with a frost cloth which prevented death, but did not keep the plants damage free. We'll be covering them again this weekend to see if we can get a few more meals before winter takes it's toll.

We have a small patch of turnips planted for greens. These are seeds we saved this spring from the turnips we planted last fall. It seems to be a good cycle to get into. We were also able eat fresh greens well into winter, again in the spring and even canned a few jars in June. Our permanent turnip bed idea didn't work out, so maybe this cycle is a better alternative.

On the other end of the garden we have planted some beets for canning, if they make it that far. 

Some carrots for winter eating.  
 

And some cabbage. We still have some frozen, shredded cabbage we grew in the spring of 2018 that we are using in soup. It's a great addition. If these cabbages make, I'm hoping we won't have insect problems this time of year, we'll eat some fresh and freeze the rest to continue our soup making routine.

 

This small bed on the east side of the house is the only place I have successfully grown spinach. We have had our first salad with miniature spinach and lettuce leaves. I was too impatient to let them grow any bigger before we had our first taste.

In the greenhouse we have started our winter salad collection.

We have two kinds of lettuce. Romaine

Black Seeded Simpson

Russian Kale

Pak Choy from seeds we saved this spring.

Cress









I have also planted a tub of amaranth since it is supposed to be good in salads and we know it's packed with nutrition.

Even though I don't expect success, I planted some of the tomato seeds we saved this summer. I wanted to make sure they were viable and wanted to try one more time for winter greenhouse tomatoes.

On a whim back in the spring I bought a six pack of sweet potato plants, put them in some rather rocky ground under a trellis, and pretty much ignored them. They made a few potatoes, more than I expected. We'll try one for supper tonight with some of those turnip greens we canned in June.

I tried keeping the vines when we dug the potatoes and planted them in a pot in the greenhouse to see if we can use this for our plants in the spring. I don't know if they will make it when the weather gets cold. We'll find out.

This is the first year we have had anything close to an apple harvest from the two trees we planted about eight years ago. The apples are good, not too sweet, but homegrown which means a lot to us. We have one with lunch almost everyday. 

 

So, food. What do you have? Is it enough for everyone you need to feed? For a while? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? Can you replenish the supply on your own without any outside assistance? 


Food has always been used to control people. Always. Think of Joseph in Egypt. His father and brothers had to come and beg for food. They had the money to pay for it, but that didn't mean they would receive any. It's no different today. Look around the world. Look at how interdependent everyone is. Some countries have oil. Some have water. Some have the type of land and soil that will grow food, some don't. If any one thing goes wrong, one spoke of the wheel breaks, all systems fail. No water, no food. No oil, no fertilizer, no commercial farming apparatus, no food. No transportation, food rots in the field. No workers, no food. 

Food can and will be used against you as a means of enforcing your compliance to any and all demands. Moral, immoral, just and unjust. Be ready. Provide for yourself and those you love. Otherwise....... 

Without food, you, and everyone you love, are dead.

Until next time - Fern
 

Reader's Thoughts

Hello Everybody, Frank here.

Recently, Fern published an article that received a number of comments - Government's Uncivil War. Yes, the article was picked up by Western Rifle Shooters Association and the Woodpile Report. This certainly increased our readership with some extra comments. We didn't see anything special about the article, but there were some great comments, thoughtful, sincere and genuine. 

We're going to share a few of those comments with you. These are readers that share often. Fern and I benefit from, and respect these folks ideas and contributions. Hopefully, you will also enjoy their insight. These are in the order that we received them.

Please share any thoughts that you have. We're all in this arena together and when it rains, it rains on all of us. We are approaching a dicey period in our civilization. Things may stay the same, but there is the opportunity for significant change. Pay attention. It's changing very quickly.

You know the rules. Food, water, fuel, protection, shelter. Pay attention. Stay away from crowds and don't get on the bus.

Hope you enjoy these comments. Enjoy may not be the right word, but I still hope you enjoy these comments.

We'll talk more later,  Frank

 

Vicki

 

Personally, I now believe that we are passengers on a runaway train, the brakes don't work and the bridge is out a mile ahead.

Greed and corruption and lies have nearly always existed in politics. But never in my lifetime have I seen those things displayed so openly. Candidates for the office of the leader of the free world are openly celebrating the murder of babies, every perversion known to man and the changing of our system of government that takes away the freedoms our forefathers fought and died for. And a fair share of our population are in the front row, standing and applauding.

We have ourselves to blame. When TSA agents at the airports began digging into granny's Depends looking for bombs and began touching our children in places they had been taught were private, we wrote letters and signed petitions and wrote blog posts condemning those actions, but we did nothing that might make a difference and we soon accepted those behaviors as normal.

When hairy men in dresses and heels and lipstick were allowed in the same restrooms as our daughters and granddaughters, we raised a ruckus and vowed to boycott the businesses that allowed this practice. But we did nothing that would actually put a stop to it. By this time we feared being labeled racist or homophobic or some other 'phobic.' We soon accepted this practice as normal.

When we were told that to openly express our opinions about things like Sharia Law or that All Lives Matter or our dismay at the unstoppable tide of 'refugees' illegally crossing our southern border, we were told to just shut up or be accused of 'hate speech.' College students were told they could speak freely only in designated 'free spaces.' School kids were told they could not wear t-shirts that had anything to do with our flag or with guns or with Christianity because others found those things offensive. We fussed about it. We wrote op-ed pieces about it. A few PTA members objected, but nothing happened to change it.

I, like so many, have no answers because I believe we are now so very close to the end of what was once the most wonderful place on the planet to live and there is no turning back. We have become afraid and understandably so. Twenty years ago I had little if any fear of going anywhere alone other than the obvious 'skid row' areas of cities. Now I wouldn't even consider walking around my block in daylight or after dark without protection. Those I know living in small towns or rural areas are equally cautious these days.

I do not know what is coming. I just feel in my bones that it is bad. This seems to be the prevailing thinking of those who pay attention. I know there is nothing I can do to change things. Those we hire to see to our well-being in government are far more interested in power and lining their own pockets than they are in doing their jobs. So I continue to get ready. I fill my deep pantry and stockpile everything I can think of to make life bearable for me and my family when the world comes crashing down around us. And it will - sooner than later.

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Peteforester

 

I've been watching this and have come to the same conclusion that you have; there's no path to victory here. America has become the world's largest dysfunctional family. Hell; families can't even sit down at a Thanksgiving dinner without ending up in a raucous, family-dividing political argument! Abortions are not only legal, but encouraged. Life is cheap; 'don't like your classmates? MOW 'EM DOWN! 'Don't like the fact that some stranger is wearing a "MAGA" hat? BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF HIM! You'll be CELEBRATED on THE VIEW! You cannot turn on the TV or go to the movies without the homosexual agenda being rammed down your throat. Even preschool kids' shows are showcasing homosexual marriage and portraying it as "normal!" The toddlers watching things like this will grow up knowing nothing else. To them homosexuality WILL be normal! Our government "representatives" don't even TRY to hide the fact that they're lying to us. Neither does the MSM. The sacrifices of our forefathers are trivialized and even DEMONIZED! Their living memorial, the American flag, is trampled and burned as a matter of free speech, even though doing the same thing to a Mexican flag flying in in the neighborhood is considered a hate crime. It goes on and on.

Kids reaching voting age this year weren't even alive when 9/11 happened. In fact, they've known NO disruptions to their sensitive little lives. Their freedom has never been threatened. Their idea of a crisis is when the internet goes down for a couple of hours. They walk out of class to protest "climate change" after being ferried to the school... in their parents' cars... from their houses a few blocks away! Unfortunately for America, this batch of weebles is larger than both the Millennials and the Baby Boomers, and is being solicited by "folk heroes" like AOC and, for some reason, Bernie Sanders. In short, they're too dumbed down to know any better. They're so stupid that they don't recognize the Trojan horses being wheeled through the wide-open gates, even though they're made of clear plastic, plainly revealing the soldiers inside.

I could go on all day...

No, I don't see a path to victory. If America is to return to its roots, it won't happen until things get WAY worse; kinda like what happened in Old Testament Israel...

...Stand by for heavy rolls as the ship comes about...

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Bluesman


Hi Fern,
The world about us is certainly in very chaotic times. It is sad to see the erosion of this once great country. I believe it will take something very unpleasant to happen before things will get better, if they ever will improve from today's craziness.
The destruction of our country has taken a long time to occur. I believe bad things got a strong foothold here during Wilson's presidency. The Communists infiltrated F.D.R.'s administration at high levels in the 1930's. Senator McCarthy was right, but the press did a job on him.
The takeover of our country's educational system was a major step for changing the way people think.
If only we could learn from history, but we refuse. Things are going to be different this time, right. I think not. People should get familiar with United Nations, Agenda 21 and Agenda 2030 to see the direction of things that are planned for us.
We prepare for bad things as best we can. We don't know what event will "trip the switch" to liven things up, but something has to give, these situations cannot continue forever. Turbulent times are here. We pray for guidance and direction on a daily basis, may the Lord have mercy on our country.

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CWfromIowa
 
The people of this country who know the true and indepth history of our nation did not learn it in a public school setting. Most educated people gain their knowledge through study they do on their own. They are also aware of revisionist history, and they attempt to find older more reliable sources. The same holds true for current events. They do not accept the garbage that comes from the media. It takes a little extra effort to look for the truth and very few are willing to do it. It makes me so sad to see what we have become and how the majority of Americans will celebrate this Memorial Day...completely unaware of how fragile our nation is today.

Thank you, Fern. You and Frank know, so much better than most, the real and nasty struggle ahead of us. Too many people are uninformed, brainwashed, or are in denial. We will all suffer the consequences. There will be no hiding from what is coming.
 

The Woodpile Report

Hello, Frank here.

Hope all are well. This morning I was reading the Woodpile Report and I realized that each article by Ol' Remus was hitting a resonant chord. You know how sometimes you will be skimming articles or magazines or internet sites and a particular article or column catches your eye and strikes you deep? Well, this is what happened this morning while reading the Woodpile Report. Idea after idea was sending a pulse directly to my core. 

So, tonight I'm going to feature the Woodpile Report. I am relatively sure that Ol' Remus does not need help from Frank and Fern, but that's not the issue here. This person, Ol' Remus, writes with a style and a manner that few have mastered. It's not the 'big words' that he uses, it's the idea or concept underlying what he is saying. It has a depth that challenges

my abilities to understand. So, you ask, why do I read it? I have read a few medical reviews that I have a little trouble following, the same with some legal briefs, but his is a different style of writing. And I ask again, why would I read something that I find challenging? Because we all need to stretch ourselves, sometimes physically, sometimes emotionally, but we all need to stretch ourselves intellectually, otherwise we fall into the trap of complacency. Some writers will try to use vocabulary that shows that they are well educated, but that's not the case with Ol' Remus. Yes, he does use an occasional word that I need to open up the dictionary for, but I feel that he stretches my intellectual capabilities. Some that know me would say, well that's not too difficult, is it? 

I hope you enjoy the articles in this version of the Woodpile Report. And after you read them, read them once again, because his depth and style is not always appreciated in the first reading. The things I read today scared me. There wasn't a whole lot that was new, but it's put in a way that makes it more imminent. I have read the Ol' Remus site now for about six years, and I look forward to it every week. Folks, if you don't know, we are in serious trouble.


We'll talk more later. Frank