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"Alas, Brave New Babylon" new fiction by Matt Bracken
Western Rifle Shooters Association ^ | August 26, 2013 | Matthew Bracken

Posted on 08/26/2013 6:20:36 AM PDT by Travis McGee

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To: reformedliberal
It says: “While usually propagated vegetatively, the potato can be grown from seeds which OCCASIONALLY (my emphasis) form on the plants.”

The problem is “occasionally” and my parents planted potatoes from regular seed potatoes all their adult life and I never saw any plant that developed seed pods.

I'll be growing the White Fuseau Sunflower russet potato like tubers that spread on their own and I'll never be without food and can give others the tubers so they can have a plot of food of their own that never goes away.

I'm also planting Egypt Walking Onions that propagate/spread on their own and I'll never be without onions and can give those away for people to start their own. Potatoes and onions cooked together is a good meal when there is no other food.

The White Fuseau is a special food in England and has been for many years. A start of 4-5 tubers is $6.95 and means food forever after.

Egypt Walking Onions is 10 topsets for $7.00 and is onions forever after.

If anyone wants to know where to get these never ending foods, send me a Freepmail.

181 posted on 08/26/2013 5:18:49 PM PDT by Marcella (Prepping can save your life today. I am a Christian, not a Muslim.)
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To: Travis McGee

I watched “The Road” again a couple of days ago. Those people had nothing and that’s the way it will be after several days here if they haven’t prepare at all, which most haven’t.


182 posted on 08/26/2013 5:29:23 PM PDT by Marcella (Prepping can save your life today. I am a Christian, not a Muslim.)
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To: little jeremiah

“I had to throw them away, after a few bites.”

The bumpy tubers have little taste on their own. They pick up the seasoning you use and that’s where the taste comes from. You normally butter a potato and it’s the same with these tubers. These tubers give you, for one thing, carbohydrates for energy but it’s carbohydrate that turns into sugar at a low rate which keeps you going and is good for diabetic people.

The smooth tubers, as opposed to the bumpy ones, are more favorable on their own but still need seasoning. They are easier to prepare since they don’t have the bumps on them where dirt could hide. Anyone preparing the bumpy kind needs to take care to clean them well due to the bumps.

In a SHTF situation, if something is food, it is valuable for you and others.


183 posted on 08/26/2013 5:41:59 PM PDT by Marcella (Prepping can save your life today. I am a Christian, not a Muslim.)
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To: Marcella

Mine were the bumpy kind. I’m not normally fussy about vegetables; there was just some kind of unpleasant quality about them, but I’m certainly will to try the smooth kind. It wasn’t the lack of flavor, it was sort of a watery sliminess? An emptiness of flavor?

But as my old mother used to say “Hunger is the best sauce!”


184 posted on 08/26/2013 5:44:22 PM PDT by little jeremiah (Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. CSLewis)
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To: Travis McGee

A McGee BTT for a thread that is not, actually, about potatoes.


185 posted on 08/26/2013 5:45:37 PM PDT by Billthedrill
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To: Marcella

I have spoken to some gardeners who have planted the walking onions. Supposed to be like scallions, but they get hotter tasting. All parts are edible, but the bulbil part stays small. Most people prefer the stalks and leaves, like scallions. They need *direction* or they will take over and even climb into planters, up walls, etc. They can spread 16’/year. They should be thinned and staked so when the top-heaviness causes them to fall to the ground to root, you have some control as to where. They will grow into thick tangles along with the local weeds and the older bulbils get tough and chewy, so should be picked immediately. They have both the top-set bulbils and underground bulbs, which are also small. If they are like other alliums, you will have no trouble finding them because they are strong scented. Actually, they sound a lot like ramps, which is an acquired taste, IMO.

Since we already are overrun w/the Sunchokes, I will rest easy knowing they are there.


186 posted on 08/26/2013 5:46:08 PM PDT by reformedliberal
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To: Riley

I love your description of the generic highway motel! Washin’ the meds down with a Bud...


187 posted on 08/26/2013 5:51:01 PM PDT by Travis McGee (www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
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To: Riley

There is a picture at #169. I won’t try to spell it from memory.


188 posted on 08/26/2013 5:52:52 PM PDT by Travis McGee (www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
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To: Chode

Thanks, I worked on this story for a long time.


189 posted on 08/26/2013 5:53:32 PM PDT by Travis McGee (www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
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To: Marcella

I think that 90% of people will stay at home and wait for the government rescuers to save them.


190 posted on 08/26/2013 5:54:32 PM PDT by Travis McGee (www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
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To: Travis McGee

I’ve on at least one occasion taken a hike through old pine forest that had been neither burned nor logged for at least a half-century, probably more.

It had a lot of trees that were dead and in varying stages of “falling down”; some down and rotted, some level and not on the ground, but too low to easily crawl under, others at an angle such that you had to either duck to get under them, or go out of your way to get around them.

I had a GPS receiver with a waypoint marking where I was going, and it provided a distance and bearing to get there.

However, unless I was moving at least 2 mph, it wouldn’t provide an arrow indicating which direction that bearing was. In that forest, there was nearly impossible to do 2 mph on a consistent basis. I knew generally which way North was, so I could make an educated guess at which direction that bearing was, and I was somewhat familiar with the area so the GPS was really just a backup and I could find my way using landmarks.

(To the assembled multitude:)

EVEN IF YOU HAVE A WORKING GPS RECEIVER AND THE SATELLITES ARE WORKING, YOU NEED TO HAVE A COMPASS, TOO!


191 posted on 08/26/2013 6:04:32 PM PDT by DuncanWaring (The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
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To: Billthedrill

I’ll take any kind of a bump I can get, even the potato kind.


192 posted on 08/26/2013 6:11:16 PM PDT by Travis McGee (www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
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To: Travis McGee
and it shows...
193 posted on 08/26/2013 6:16:31 PM PDT by Chode (Stand UP and Be Counted, or line up and be numbered - *DTOM* -ww- NO Pity for the LAZY)
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To: reformedliberal; Travis McGee

The Egypt Walking Onions, taste different at different stages. The hotter ones are the ones that have been there longer - near the top. Their name is what they do - they walk. Mine should be here any day and they go in a planter and when they put out the part that falls over to make another onion, I’ll make sure it stays in the planter.

If they are planted in the ground and not in a planter, one would have to limit them and the best way to do that is to put them in a spot made just for them, not in a regular garden for them to take that over and the same is true for the white tubers.

People in McGee’s story have no food. The sunflower tubers/Egypt Walking Onions could keep these people alive, including our hero. If these were growing naturally where he was, he would have meals right there. He may be a macho man but he still has to eat. Six months of MRE type meals in his car won’t help him when he heads into the woods. He can hunt for game but he also has Zombies in the woods to watch for when he hunts.

I need to send McGee the link to the white tubers and Egypt Walking Onions. And, need to send him some Zombie targets (which I have) for him to practice his aim. Actually, we have talked about practicing aim and we both use the same “weapon” to practice.


194 posted on 08/26/2013 6:27:42 PM PDT by Marcella (Prepping can save your life today. I am a Christian, not a Muslim.)
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To: reformedliberal

I know what it else it was about the chokes I didn’t like - a sort of strange astringency.

But I might try those white smooth ones.


195 posted on 08/26/2013 6:41:47 PM PDT by little jeremiah (Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. CSLewis)
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To: Travis McGee

“I think that 90% of people will stay at home and wait for the government rescuers to save them.”

I believe that is right especially if they have children. Unless they are heading out to grandmother’s house, they will stay home - and die - and if they hesitate to go to grandmother’s house, they will never get there.

I wish I could speak to every person not prepared in this country. It weighs on me more with every passing day. If they all read the articles I wrote, they could save themselves but they don’t know those are there and if they are sure nothing is going to happen, they wouldn’t read them anyway. I saw/read several days ago that 3% of the population had anything stored.

If you recall an article posted in the last few days, the US government is going to have a training day in November to simulate what will happen if an enemy explodes a nuclear device in the air and brings down the entire country grid. Companies and police across the country will participate. The article said they would assume all deliveries of food and medicine and medical care stops. That will be an eye opener if the results are publicized.

But, guess what? We paid for the most expensive bunker in the US with water and food and sterile air and even a surgeon. We paid for Muslim Hussein and family to go underground, across the street and down, and enter “our” bunker. Are you and everyone else as important as Hussein? I am and spent my own money after paying for his, for me to have something to depend on in a perilous time just as you wrote about. Thank you for writing and I’m sending it to my friends.


196 posted on 08/26/2013 6:44:55 PM PDT by Marcella (Prepping can save your life today. I am a Christian, not a Muslim.)
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To: Marcella

When I was a kid near DeFuniak Springs, FL, wild onions were fairly common, especially in areas which had been cut over such as large lawns, highway right of way etc. The bulbs were only a little larger than a marble with the largest ones probably smaller than a ping pong ball.

They tasted about the same ass the ones you bought in stores except it took a lot of them. The stalks were also pretty good when cooked. The closer to the bulb, the better the stalks.

I now live only around 20 miles from there but I don’t see any around here.

In my yard are pear trees, a bunch of pecan trees, Japanese persimmons (very tasty), figs, plums, apples, and very heavy producing wild grapes (scuppernongs). There are also a couple of satsuma bushes which produce nearly year round.

With just a few other things I think I could live off what my yard produces. The pecan trees only make about every other year but there are over a dozen of them. I think I would like to plant some of those Egyptian onions if they are so prolific.


197 posted on 08/26/2013 6:47:28 PM PDT by yarddog (Romans 8: verses 38 and 39. "For I am persuaded".)
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To: Travis McGee

Bkmrk


198 posted on 08/26/2013 7:09:58 PM PDT by 2111USMC (Aim Small Miss Small)
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To: yarddog

I sent you a Freepmail with the link to Egyptian Walking Onions.


199 posted on 08/26/2013 7:14:28 PM PDT by Marcella (Prepping can save your life today. I am a Christian, not a Muslim.)
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To: Marcella

Yes, I got it. there is a large feed and seed store near me and I will check there first. If they don’t have them or something which will grow here I will order some.


200 posted on 08/26/2013 7:17:44 PM PDT by yarddog (Romans 8: verses 38 and 39. "For I am persuaded".)
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