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Special Offer - Gourmet Reserves Food Systems

5% Special Discount for ChrisMartenson.com Readers

We are pleased to announce that PrepareDirect is offering ChrisMartenson.com members a special discount of 5% off all Gourmet Reserves Food Systems (this is an additional 5% off PrepareDirect's low prices). 

Gourmet Reserves, the food reserves division of AlpineAire Foods was introduced in 1989 to address the growing need for high quality, convenient, familiar, and real shelf-stable food products. The emphasis is on nutritious freeze-dried, instant, and specially dehydrated foods that include both a wide variety of exciting complete meal recipes, and many individual items.

 read more »

Special Offer - Katadyn Water Purification/Filtration Systems

5% Special Discount for ChrisMartenson.com Readers

We are pleased to announce that PrepareDirect is offering ChrisMartenson.com members a special discount of 5% off the already low price on all Katadyn products that PrepareDirect carries.

Katadyn is considered one of the best companies to choose from for meeting your filtration and purification needs.  They are highly reviewed and recommended for both capability and quality. They are a top choice for backcountry applications and your overall water filtration / purification strategy.  If you are looking to learn more about why you might need a water filtration / purification method, take some time to read the following articles and discussion forums. Having pure water is a critical component in building resiliency into our lives and these filters make a great addition to your preparations. 

 Rainwater HarvestingEnsuring Access to Safe Drinking WaterDefinitive Water Thread Discussion
 

 

Specifically, PrepareDirect is offering us:

  • A 5% discount on all Katadyn products
  • Free shipping on orders over $99.00

Click here to take advantage of this offer; use Coupon Code: CHRISWATER5, exclusive to ChrisMartenson.com readers. This offer is valid through May 15, 2012.

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Making Potting Mix

With spring upon us and the warming of the earth, many readers are getting the urge and itch to get outside and start planting a garden. Whether your garden is large enough to feed a community or just big enough to supplement your everyday fresh greens addiction, at some point you will need a supply of potting soil. From container herb gardens to the square-foot garden method, potting soil will need to be on hand. High-quality potting soil is an essential component to a successful garden season because it provides the foundational medium in which your plants will start and continue to grow in. In this article I discuss the process and recipe that I have used for many years for making great potting soil.  I hope to provide you with ideas on how to make the best mix for your garden and ways to save money in the future. 

The Recipe

The following is an excellent general seed starting mix and transplant mix.  For plants that might require a lighter mix, use a 2-1-1 ratio of the following ingredients.

Mix the following ingredients together in a sealable bag or container to maintain moisture if potting mix is to be stored for any length of time.

  • 3 parts Peat Moss
  • 1 part Compost (can be a combo of compost and worm castings if you have a worm bin available)
  • 1 part Perlite

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Special Offer - Adventure Medical

We are pleased to announce that PrepareDirect is offering ChrisMartenson.com members a special discount of 5% off on select Adventure Medical Kits.

Adventure Medical Kits and accessories are very high quality with proven combinations of reliable components. These kits are designed by medical professionals with extensive experience in dealing with medical emergencies and trauma in the wilderness and during other disasters an emergency preparedness planner might encounter.

Adventure Medical Kits are the kits of choice by professionals, emergency planners, and serious adventurers because of:

  1. The quality of the supplies
  2. The thoroughness and value of the instructions
  3. The comprehensive selection of injuries that can be treated

Specifically, PrepareDirect is offering us:

  • A 5% discount on selected Adventure Medical Kits (eight kit sizes/styles to choose from).
    This is a 5% additional discount on the already low price offered on the site.
  • Free shipping on orders over $99.00

Click here to take advantage of this offer; use Coupon Code: CHRISMED5, exclusive to ChrisMartenson.com readers. Offer will be valid through the month of April 2012.

 read more »

Special Offer - SolMan portable solar generators

We are pleased to announce that SolSolutions is offering ChrisMartenson.com members a special discount of 5% off all SolMan portable solar generator models.

SolSolutions designs and builds plug & play, mobile solar electric generating equipment for point of use, temporary, off-grid, event, and emergency back-up power. The SolMan is designed and built in the US, using top shelf American components.

The SolMan is proven in the field, built to last, and will deliver what it is rated for. The SolMan is a complete, ready to go system. It includes PV panels, batteries, charge controller, inverter/charger, monitoring, and AC & DC plugs, all on an easy to transport, rolling cart, which makes it perfect for low tech solar tracking.

The SolMan is a clean, green, quiet source of personal needs electric, for when you donʼt have a grid outlet nearby. It will run a trailer, cabin or efficient small house, with power management attention. The SolMan is an excellent complement inter-tied with a liquid fuel generator for 24/7 year around backup power, without having to run a generator all the time, and saving you alot on fuel.  read more »

Making Chèvre (Goat Cheese)

Goats were one of the very first domesticated animals. They have been used for milk, meat, leather, fiber, manure, and for pack animals. Goat milk is easy to digest, and is often consumed by those that cannot tolerate cow milk. In much of the world, it is goat milk and cheese that is preferred over cow milk products. 

In this article we will go through the simple process of making Chèvre. Chèvre is simply the French word for goat. It is a fresh, soft goat cheese, with the consistency of cream cheese. It is  extremely easy to make, and a great beginners cheese.
   read more »

Growing Sprouted Fodder For Livestock

Fodder or animal feed is any feedstock used specifically to feed domesticated livestock such as cattle, goats, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. "Fodder" refers particularly to food given to the animals (including plants cut and carried to them), rather than that which they forage for themselves in pasture and grazing land. It includes hay, straw, silage, compressed and pelleted feeds, oils and mixed rations, and also sprouted grains and legumes.  The fodder system we are focusing on here today is a hydroponically grown, quick turn over, and cost effective system.   

With many regions of the world experiencing record droughts and peak water becoming more of a concern for many businesses and individuals who own and raise livestock,  seeking options and solutions to maintain the health and growth of their animals can be a challenge.  Sprouting fodder on site can be a dependable and low cost source of feed and nutritional supplementation, creating a local, on demand feed source that can build great resiliency and independence for homesteaders and those in agricultural industries.   read more »

Special Offer - Country Living Grain Mills

We are pleased to announce that PrepareDirect is offering ChrisMartenson.com members a special discount of 5% Off Country Living Grain Mills and Free Shipping.

The Country Living Grain Mill can be an incredibly valuable asset to your overall preps or homestead infrastructure.  Freshly ground flours and grains produce amazing bread and provide better nutrition for you and your family. Having a grain mill also gives one the ability to purchase bulk wheat berries and save on your everyday baking needs. And those of you who are looking to try your hand at growing your own grain, now you have the opportunity to save on the method of processing the grain you grow. 

Here are a few features of the Country Living Grain Mill:

  • Built for hand milling, but easily motorized
  • Adjustable grind –cracked wheat to pastry flour
  • FDA approved, food-grade finish
  • High-carbon steel grinding plates
  • Lifetime Warranty
  • MADE IN THE USA

Specifically, PrepareDirect is offering us:

  • A 5% Discount on Country Living Grain Mills
  • Free shipping anywhere in the 48 contiguous states.  Call for shipping costs to Hawaii and Alaska.

 read more »

Ensuring Access to Safe Drinking Water

Water is vital to life. Having access to clean, pure water is critical to maintaining health and wellbeing. We all need it in order to survive. But clean water is getting harder to come by. There is constantly more stress and contamination sources being applied to the natural and human built processing systems that supply us with fresh potable water. Water treatment plants go offline when power outages occur. Groundwater and well water sources are being increasingly contaminated. Natural disasters compound the stress on these systems and introduce new hazards and toxic inputs that we once thought were contained and managed. Here are a few recent examples of how our water supplies are being compromised and the potential health risks involved.   read more »

Special Offer from SolSolutions and Solar Goose - LED-Solar flashlights

We are pleased to announce that SolSolutions is offering ChrisMartenson.com members a special discount of 25% off all Solar Goose LED-Solar Flashlights and other associated lighting and charging devices.

SolSolutions designs and builds portable solar generators.  They also use their industry expertise to recommend and sell the best in solar components, energy efficient appliances, LED lights, and off-grid energy options.

The Solar Goose Ultimate LED-Solar Flashlight is one of the best on the market. Solidly built of brushed aluminum, not plastic, the Ultimate Flashlight contains a strong solar charger, bright high-quality LED chip, and versatile design.

Solar Goose also has an Ultimate Survival Kit for lighting, communication and small backup power needs.  This kit can be an excellent addition to your car or mobile emergency preparedness package.  (Read the EDC Article).  Other backup solar charging and lighting products are available at Solar Goose as well.

Specifically, SolSolutions and Solar Goose are offering:

  • A 25% additional discount on all Solar Goose products
  • Free shipping
  • A free mini solar/led flashlight with every order.  

Click Here to go directly to the Solar Goose online store, to take advantage of this offer, and use Coupon Code: SolMan, exclusive to ChrisMartenson.com readers.  Offer will be valid through the end of March 2012.  read more »