Be certain to consult a professional (or a really good field guide) in order to positively identify this plant before trying this for yourself. The owners of this site will not be held responsible for any lapses in judgment or stupidity when handling or consuming wild plants.

The daylily (hemerocallis fulva) is a very common ornamental plant that has found a home in many yards and gardens throughout the United States. Despite its common occurrence, few realize the year-round food potential of this plant.

In this article I’ll go into detail about how to identify, process and eat these delicious plants.

How to Identify Daylilies

Before you attempt to eat any wild edible you need to be absolutely certain you can identify it with 100% certainty. Luckily, daylilies, when in flower, have no poisonous look-a-likes. But to those that only see a “wall of green” out there, everything looks alike. In that case here are the 4 key things to look out for when properly identifying daylilies:

	6-petaled flower that faces upwards. These are typically orange but some have been bred to be different colors. In all daylilies the flower only lasts a single day (hence the name )
	Leafless flower stalk that is about 3 feet tall. The stalk that supports the flower head will have no leaves on it. This is a good comparison to the Blue Flag Iris which is poisonous and has leaves on its flower stalk.
	Light-green basal leaves that are long and sword-like with pointed tips.
	Root is a tangle of small tubers. The tubers are around pea size to about the size of a large almond.

If you can positively identify each of these 4 attributes above, it’s pretty certain that your looking at a daylily.

How to Eat a Daylily

Eating in the Different Seasons

The great thing about daylilies is that there is always something to eat from this plant all year round. In the late Fall and Winter (as well as all year round) you can eat the tubers (root nodules), in the Spring the young shoots are edible and delicious as a stir fry, and in the Summer you can eat the flower buds and the flowers.

I would recommend waiting until Summer to eat these as it will have all of the attributes available to make for an accurate identification. Since it’s a perennial plant (lives longer than two years) you can then come back to the stand during the following springtime to get the young shoots.

If you do decide to gather them in the Spring, care must be taken not to mistake them with some of the poisonous irises and lilies that emerge around the same time. One of the best ways to identify them is to unearth the young shoot, roots and all. You’re looking to find small potato-like tubers with tiny hair-like roots attached to them (see the picture I took in the section above). If you unearth one long, thick rhizome without tubers or a single bulb, then you’ve got the wrong plant.

What Parts to Eat

The edible portions of the plant (tubers, young shoots, flower buds and flowers) can all be eaten raw. However, there have been reports that some people react with nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea — especially if they eat a bunch of it). Cooking it is supposed to help reduce these effects. Just try out a small amount and see if you have any symptoms. All my friends and family who try this plant have never experienced this.

	Tubers: You’ll want to remove the hair-like roots and thick rhizomes. Wash and clean them and boil them in water for about 15 minutes for best taste (you can eat them raw). Some people like to peel them like potatoes, however I find the skin is just fine to eat along with the starchy centers — without the hassle. In this picture I’ve peeled some and left others with the skin.
	Flowers: The flower have a pleasant sweet taste when eaten raw and also can be dipped in batter and fried. Day-old Flowers: The wilted flowers (above-left in the picture) can be reconstituted in soups. Flowers Buds: Both the flower buds about to bloom (bottom left) and those that still have a while (bottom right) are excellent in your favorite stir fry recipe.
	Young Shoots: The young shoots are excellent raw, in salads or with dip. They are also great in stir fry.
	The benefit of learning wild edibles is that it can greatly improve and extend your long-term food storage. Here’s an example of using some of my stored rice with some fresh daylily flowers, stir-fried buds, and boiled daylily tubers. Yumm!

Daylily Nutrition Information

Daylily flowers and tubers are high in protein and oils. The flower buds are good sources of beta carotene and vitamin C.

Other Notes

Although daylilies are an excellent food source, you should be aware that research done in Chinese laboratories have reported that there are potentially toxic substances in the roots which may be cumulative. Keep in mind that people have been eating these plants for centuries without being poisoned so use them with respect and in moderation.

Related posts:

1. The Fantastic Four – 4 Essential Wild Edible Plants that May Just Save Your Life
2. How to Eat Dandelion Flowers
3. Dandelion Greens – The Perfect Spring Survival Food

Dervaes's BackYard - photo © pathtofreedom.com

They make their own biodiesel and electricity (through solar means) and their 1/10th of an acre garden produces over 6,000 pounds of fruit and vegetables annually! This is more than enough food for four adults. They also sell the surplus to nearby restaurants making about $20,000 a year on the food alone.

Here are a couple of videos featuring the Dervaes family and their home (for my email subscribers you’ll have to view it on the site since the video doesn’t embed in most email servers):

Resources

Be sure to check out the Dervaes website, Path to Freedom: Urban Homestead for details into how they accomplished this as well as tips in creating your own homestead.

Related posts:

1. Howto: Fresh Vegetables Year Round without a Garden or Grocery Store

I got this idea straight from the HeatStick.com site, where instead of ordering one of their “Kandle Heeters” I decided to make my own and share with you guys how you can too (it cost me about 15 bucks to make compared to 30 dollars (plus shipping) if you were to buy one).

How it Works

The basic purpose of this heater is to capture the heat given off of a candle flame and to concentrate it into a steel and ceramic radiator assembly. After some time, the ceramic surface will act as a thermal mass and begin to radiate the captured thermal energy into your room or office. Here’s how heatstick.com describes it (image and description c/o heatstick.com):

Heat rising from a burning candle (or electric lamp) is first trapped in the Steel Inner Core and surrounding Ceramic Inner Module. The Inner Cores get very hot and radiate heat to the Ceramic Middle Core. This Entire Inner Region gets VERY VERY HOT!! Heat synergistically builds up and “boils out” of the Ceramic Inner Core into the Ceramic Middle Core. The Middle Core heats up and begins to Radiate Heat. Heated air “boils out” into the Ceramic Outer Core. The Large Surface Area of the Outer Core begins receiving Heat. The inner wall surfaces become very HOT! Heat travels through the wall to the Outer Surface. The Outer Surface gets VERY WARM to HOT and gently begins to Radiate Heat into your home or office.

Putting it all Together

The process for putting together the candle heater is very simple:

What You Need

• one 4″ ceramic (not glazed) pot
• one 2″ ceramic (not glazed) pot
• one 1 1/2″ ceramic (not glazed) pot
• two 1 1/2″ x 1/4″ washers
• three 1 1/4″ x 1/4″ washers
• three 1″ x 1/4″ washers
• eight 3/4″ x 1/4″ washers
• seven 1/4″ nuts
• one 3″ x 1/4″ bolt

Assembly Instructions

I think that the easiest way for you to learn how to put one of these heaters together is to follow the cutout image (to the left) I used from the heatstick.com site:

Just place the washers and nuts in the right combination as the image and you’ll be good to go. Looking inside, it should look something like this:

Making the Stand

	I found the simplest stand to make is to purchase three 4″ corner braces.
	Then just put the three braces together with the middle brace facing the opposite direction and bend the outside two just enough to support the heater.

Test Results

I decided to test out the heater with the bacon-grease candle I had made (check out Homemade Lamps from Everyday Objects to learn how to make your own). Since the homemade candle jar was a bit bigger than the 4.5″ stand I made, I added 6″ corner brace extensions to support the larger candle.

After burning the heater for around 6 hours it seemed to be putting out only a small amount of heat (a decent amount of heat was pouring out from underneath though). However, since the weather has been warmer around here I wasn’t able to give this little heater a fair shake (and besides, how much heat output are you really expecting from a candle anyways?).

Despite the less-than-optimal testing conditions, still, in no way would it heat up your home (or even a normal size room for that matter), but in an enclosed area like your car I could see it having some benefit. Again I haven’t been able to truly test it so this is only conjecture.

Even though the heater doesn’t seem all that effective, making this contraption was far from a waste of time. I learned some important principles as well as came up with other ideas of how to convert a flame source to radiant heating (just think of a larger version of this heater combined with the rocket stove I reviewed and you’ll get what I mean).

Related posts:

1. Survival Car Heater – Carbon Monoxide Testing Results
2. How to Make a Survival Stove (Car Heater)

Efforts to prevent looters from entering neighborhoods after Chile's disaster include barricades like this one in Concepcion

In the wake of the earthquake, hundreds of Chilean survivors are forming organized neighborhood watch groups, arming themselves and barricading streets to protect their homes from looters.

The groups have taken over the role of security since the police were overwhelmed by looting and soldiers were not able to restore order quick enough after the disaster.

What this Means

Looting seems to be a common theme in natural disasters. When the grid goes down for a period of time and the first responders become overextended, 1) the less savory people of society see it as a free for all and go on a looting spree, and 2) when people become desperate enough due to lack of food and supplies they often resort to looting as well.

This is especially problematic in an extended grid-down situation.

To reduce inventory and the associated carrying costs, modern grocery stores receive their inventory “just in time” for the next day’s demand. When that supply line gets held up for whatever reason, those who are dependent upon the goods in that store go without.

These Just in Time (JIT) supply strategies allow for no extended stock of food and supplies — which is why we see the shelves become empty prior to impending storms. The longer the supply is gone the more desperate people become.

How Does it Effect You?

A neighbor guards his block from looters in Lota, Chile, on Wednesday. (Aliosha Marquez / AP)

Think again, it happened in Louisiana after the Katrina disaster and if another major disaster comes — economic or otherwise — it will happen again.

There are a number of lessons to be learned from this:

1. You must be prepared: Food (and water) storage is absolutely essential. A minimum of 3 months but ideally one year’s worth or more. For more info on how to get started with food storage be sure to read my Food Storage Basics article series.
2. Get to know your neighbors: Similar to these Chileans, banding together provides safety and security and besides, you can’t expect to man a 24/7 watch all by yourself.

   Get to know your neighbors now, before disaster strikes. If possible, come up with neighborhood disaster plans and discuss the possibility of how the neighborhood would respond to looters.

3. Arm yourself: When the law is not around and the lawless run amok, you are the last line of defense for your family.

   Just having firearms is not enough. Be sure to get the proper training. There are numerous civilian training schools around the country that teach personal defense with a firearm.

4. Beef up the security of your residence: Having a secure home is a good idea even without a mob of looters running around. Now’s the time to increase the security of your residence before the zombies come a’knocking.

Resources

This is by far THE best book out there for building a secure home. 700 pages of hard-core information (no fluff):

The Secure Home (by Joel Skousen)

• Chilean survivors arm selves against looters
• Chile earthquake: Why do people loot? – A look into the psychological reasons people loot.

Related posts:

1. The Tactical Intelligence News Brief: California on the Verge of System Failure
2. The Tactical Intelligence News Brief – October 6, 2009
3. Welcome to Tactical Intelligence .Net!

How to Make Logs from Newspaper

Step 1: Soak the Newspaper

The first thing you need to do is soak the newspaper it a sink or bucket. It helps to separate the newspapers into its smaller sections.

Step 2: Drain and Lay Out the Paper

After completely saturating the paper (usually by soaking for at least an hour) pull the paper from the water, let it drain completely and then lay it out into sections of 1-3 sheets — staggered much like fallen dominoes.

Step 3: Roll the Wet Newspaper Around a Dowel

Then take a dowel and roll the wet paper around it squeezing the paper as it’s rolled to ensure that it sticks together.

Step 4: Continue Rolling Until Desired Thickness is Acheived

Continue with the above step until you’ve rolled the newspaper log into your desired thickness.

Step 5: Thoroughly Dry your New Newspaper Log

Slide off the paper log and let it dry for a few days (a lot quicker if you place it on a woodstove, outside in the sun or in front of the heating vents. Basically anywhere where the moisture will come off quicker.

Lighting Your Newspaper Firewood

If you’ve made these correctly, they should be pretty dense. Because of this, you cannot simply take your bic and light them up like you would newspaper. Treat them just like any other wood log in that they require smaller sticks or kindling to light. And just like wood logs, you’ll need a good bed of coals or at least a pair of logs to maintain the burn.

These paper “logs” will also produce more ash than traditional logs. Just be sure they are completely dry before burning and you’ll be able surprised at the heat output that your old newspaper can give off.

Related posts:

1. Homemade Lamps from Everyday Objects

Image from GreenRoofGrowers.blogspot.com

What the Heck is a SIP?

The sub-irrigated planter or SIP is a modern form of a raised bed with the added advantage of a self-watering irrigation system. The water is introduced from the bottom of the container, allowing the water to soak upwards to the plant through capillary action.

SIPs can be made from many different containers ranging from large to small. And once you understand the principle of how one is made you can apply that to practically any container and be well on your way to growing a fantastic garden.

Here’s a great video put together by high-school students showing you the principle of 5-gallon bucket SIP and how you can make your own:

Advantages of Sub-Irrigated Planters (SIPs)

Not only is there an 80% decrease in water usage in a plant to plant comparison than found in a typical garden but it also doubles the production output of a garden and on top of that it is weed free! Best of all this system allows city dwellers to essentially bring their own land with them and place it on their balconies, patios or a city roof.

This type of design allows for a bottom up watering approach rather than a top down approach that is typical in potted plants or plants growing in a standard garden. Since the water is pulled up from the bottom, as long as the water reservoir remains full the plants will draw the water as needed. There is no risk of over- or under-watering the plants.

How to Make Your Own

What You’ll Need

1. 2 five gallon food-grade buckets that can stack inside one another
2. 1” plastic pipe or tubing (pvc pipe works fine) about 3” longer than the height of one of the buckets
3. smaller plastic container (a plastic cup or used hummus container works great)
4. power drill with ¼ inch drill bit
5. box-cutters
6. plastic bag large enough to cover the opening of one of your buckets
7. snips or hacksaw to cut the pvc pipe

Step 1: Prepare the Buckets

Place one bucket inside the other and put them in front of a light source to see the space created between them – this gap will act the reservoir that will hold the water. Measure the height of this space and mark that measurement on your smaller plastic container, starting from the bottom. Add 1/8” to this height and measure the diameter of your container at that height.

Step 2: Drill your Holes

Turn the first bucket upside down and mark the center. Around the center draw a circle whose size to the diameter you just measured on your plastic container. Using this circle as a guide cut a hole in the bottom of the bucket that is just smaller than the diameter of your small plastic container. If you have a jigsaw, use this to cut the hole. If not, drill a series of small holes around the perimeter of the circle and use your snips or scissors to finish the job. On the same bucket drill roughly 25 ¼” holes evenly spaced around the larger hole you just made.

Step 3: Prepare the Fill Tube

Drill or cut a hole in the bottom of the bucket that corresponds to the diameter of your watering pipe or tubing. Cut the bottom of your tubing at a 45-degree angle to prevent the tube from clogging in your bucket.

Step 4: Cut Slits in your Small Container

With your box cutter slice 4 vertical slits in the sides of the smaller plastic container making the slices evenly spaced around the perimeter of the cup. Do not cut through the bottom or lip of your cup.

Step 5: Stack the Buckets Together and Drill the Overflow Holes

Place the bucket with holes in it inside the other bucket. Place the buckets in front of a light source as you did earlier and drill two ¼” overflow holes on opposite sides of the outside bucket. These holes should be a quarter inch below the bottom of the inside bucket.

Step 6: Add your Potting Mix and Plant your Seedlings

With the buckets stacked together, place the plastic tube through the hole you made for it angled end first. Pack the small plastic container with wet potting mix and set it inside the large hole in the center of the bucket. Fill the first bucket ¾ full with damp potting mix making it fairly compact. Plant your seedling and top off the bucket with potting mix.

Step 7: Add Fertilizer

Water your seedling from the top, for the first and only time to saturate the soil. After that point, water your plant using the fill pipe. Take one cup of fertilizer and sprinkle it around the outside edge of the bucket leaving as large of a space of plain soil in the middle as possible. Take your plastic bag and make two slits in it, large enough to fit your seedling and watering tube through, respectively. Place the plastic over the top of your bucket while gently feeding your seedling and watering tube through the slits. Secure the plastic with a zip tie or string.

Step 8: Suggestions on Watering

When watering you’ll want to fill the reservoir until the water comes out of the overflow holes. As mentioned before this self-watering system makes it impossible to over-water your plant. Every few days take a look at your reservoir and fill as necessary. During the growing season there may be times when you need to water every day so be sure to pay close attention.

A Word on Soil

It’s important that you do not use standard garden soil in the SIPs. Why? Well in order for SIPs to function correctly the water must be wicked from the bottom to where the roots of the plant can soak up the moisture. Ordinary soil does not provide the capillary action (wicking action) needed to move the moisture upward. You’ll need to purchase potting soil (with the main ingredient being spagham peat and/or coir). Here are some homemade recipes provided by Global Buckets:

Recipe #1: Sphagnum Peat
70% Sphagnum Peat
20% Vermiculite
10% Perlite

Recipe #2: Sphagnum Peat and Coir
35% Sphagnum Peat
35% Coir
20% Vermiculite
10% Perlite

Resources

If you prefer not to make your own, there is a commercial variant of a SIP called an Earthbox which can be purchased at the Earthbox.com site for $50 per box (a homemade one is much cheaper).

Also, here is :

• Global Buckets: A great site which teaches you how to make an automated watering system as well as fertilizer and soil recipes
• Green Roof Growers: A blog about three people’s experiences growing heirloom vegetables on the Chicago rooftops using SIPs.

No related posts.

22 CB Cap long (left), 22 CB Cap short (right)

Well short of using a suppressor (silencer) which may not be legal in your area, there is a super quiet round available for your rifle that you may not be aware of. It’s called the 22 CB Cap (short for “conical ball cap”).

While not as powerful or accurate over long range as the 22LR round, it is still powerful enough to take small game such as rabbit or squirrel and provides the added advantage of being no louder than a pellet gun (and perhaps even less so). The reason for its silence is due to its minute propellant charge (in many cases it’s just the primer with no gunpowder) which results in a low muzzle velocity of around 700 ft/s (subsonic).

The advantages of this kind of round in a serious survival situation (urban or wilderness) are obvious. With a report no louder than a pellet gun, the .22 CB Cap round gives you the benefit of being able to easily take smaller game — even in a congested urban area — without anyone the wiser (Pigeon anyone? yummy…). It also allows for target practice without bothering the pesky neighbors.

One of the main disadvantages of the .22 CB Cap is that it won’t cycle most semi-automatic firearms. Since the round doesn’t provide enough power to cycle the bolt, each round must be fed manually, one at a time. Despite this major disadvantage I still highly recommend adding a box or two of .22 CB Cap to your store (and some for your second tier kit while your at it) when silence is of primary importance.

Related posts:

1. The Ultimate Survival Firearm
2. Howto: Fresh Vegetables Year Round without a Garden or Grocery Store