The Pickled Prepper

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Outfitting the Polaris for New Adventures

Pete upgrades his side-by-side and equips it for medical and other emergencies.
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Pete's Blog Posts

Almost three times as many of my saved items on Amazon increased in price rather than dropped. Is this a sign of tariffs and things to come or just the algorithm?

Do Rising Prices on Amazon Show Tariff Impact?

Almost three times as many of my saved items on Amazon increased in price rather than dropped. Is this a sign of tariffs and things to come?
Things seemed pretty normal on the Interstate, with plenty of trucks and recreational vehicles.

Things Look Normal Over Lengthy Road Trip

Pete takes a look at America from the Interstate, rest stops, and gas stations and finds things look pretty normal, with no fear or panic.
These are three of the items Pete picked up to add to his bug out bags, caches, and vehicle emergency supplies.

Reviewing Recent Purchases and Preps

Pete's last minute shopping to beat the tariff and de minimis deadlines proved to be mostly positive with a few losers.
Our new Polaris Ranger climbed the mountain with ease.

The New Polaris Ranger Arrives on the Homestead

Pete tests put his new Polaris Ranger out on the homestead and compares the 2025 version to a 2017 model he had been driving.
The boat that I row may take many forms, not all of them nautical.

Rowing Your Way to Financial Freedom

Do you own stuff, or owe money on stuff? The former will help you be financially free while the latter will keep you tied down. Lear how to break free.
Monday's power outage in Spain and Portugal also knocked out internet and cell phone communication.

Prepper Lessons from the Spanish Grid Failure

Monday's power outage in Spain and Portugal was the biggest grid-down even in the modern cell phone and digital communications era.
The nuc (left) arrives in a temporary beehive. The beekeepers lifts out the frames and adds them to an empty beehive. This larger hive body gives the queen more room to lay eggs and the bees room to put nectar and pollen,

From Four Beehives to Ten in a Month

The bees are overflowing! Time to create some more splits to prevent swarming. I also add a nuc to bolster my bee's genetics.
Pakistan and India have come to blow over Kashmir int he past. It looks like they may do so again.

The Threat of War Between India and Pakistan Spikes

The threat of “all-out-war” between India and Pakistan, both nuclear powers, is surging after an attack on Indian tourists in Kashmir.
Pete is inching closer to buying his own UTV.

The Trials and Tribulations of Trying to Buy a Side-by-Side

Pete's hopes of finding a used side-by-side after Hurricane Helene turned out to be a miscalculation. Buyers are hanging on to them.
Pete was able to buy six of these for less than $12. Once the new rules for small shipments from China go into effect on May 2, they will probably cost $12 each.

Is this the Death Knell from Temu and Shein?

Trump's tariffs and de minimis shipping changes are destroying Chinese business that ship direct to the U.S. consumer. Stock up before it is too late.
Food from my old bug out bag.

Meal Planning for Bugout Bags

One of the toughest things about bugging out on foot is to make sure you don't run out of food before you get there.
When the SHTF, do you have what you need to survive close at hand? An EDC day pack can increase your chances of getting home or to a safe location.

Planning and Considerations for Bugging Out

As the world grows more dangerous, you should have a bugout plan. If you already have one, it may be time to update it.
The angled foregrip mounted on this AR pistol has an integra; 1450 lumen flashlight.

Gun Fun on the Homestead

What good is the ability to step out of your back door and do some target practice if you don't occasionally take advantage of it?
I was given these two beehives by a beekeeper who was moving and couldn't take her bees with her.

Beekeeping Grows more Difficult in 2025

Commercial beekeepers have lost between 60 and 80 percent of their beehives in the past nine months, endangering the food supply.
Idle factories in China making textiles, sewing clothes, manufacturing electronics and machining parts for export are falling silent due to tariffs are the opening salvo in Trump's economic war against China.

Trump’s Opening Salvo in the War with China

Trump has set a Trap for China and Xi Jinping has fallen into it as the economic battle of the century commences.
You can see where the ford has washed away. We can still drive around the hole, but no one wants to be there when the side gives way any further.

Heavy Rains Damage our Temporary Repairs

Despite more damage from heavy rains, work on the homestead continues. If we are going to be stuck at home, we might as well get some chores done.
Buy electronics, clothing footwear, OTC meds, health and beauty aids and other imported goods so you can beat any cost increases driven by the tariffs.

How to Beat the Tariffs and Prep for Uncertainty

Whether or not tariffs last, there are things you can do to frontload your purchases and minimize the impact of tariffs on your life and your wallet.
President Trump signs executive orders in the White House.

Cutting the Cord – Everybody has to Grow Up

The world freaks out as Trump fulfills his promise to implement tariffs. Europe and China react negatively to having to grow up and pay their own way.
An old abandoned home like those we see in the Appalachians.

Hunger in the Appalachians

Hunger has been commonplace in the Appalachians for centuries. I ran into it first-hand the other day. Our future might hold more of it.
Two truckloads, about 35 tons, of ballast, a large kind of gravel, were spread on our private road. We are delighted to see work starting on the road repair and rebuilding project.

A Month of Wind, Water and Sun on the Homestead

march was a busy month on the homestead with road repairs, solar power, water issues, and wildfire preparation all underway.
Seven nuclear-ca[able B-2 stealth bombers have been positioned on an air base in Diego Garcia.

B-2 Stealth Bombers Movements Could Herald War with Iran

Is the U.S. threatening the Houthis or Iran by positioning seven B-2 stealth bombers within striking distance of the Middle East?
Canned goods from Sam's Club

Buying Things on Sale and in Bulk

Prepping is a great excuse to take advantage of sales and buy in bulk to stock up. Just do so wisely and don't get carried away.
This is what AI imagines the F-147 will look like when accompanied into battle with autonomous "collaborative combat aircraft."

Are Rare Earth Minerals the New Oil?

For a century, wars were fought over oil and access to it. It looks like the next war may be fought over rare earth minerals.
This is one load if firewood, 10 feet wide and two rows deep. I had to re-split about a third of them.

Spring and Winter Duke it Out on the Homestead

Spring finally arrives, but winter won't be pushed out so easily. The warm weather lets us do long-awaited chores while the freezing rains drives us indoors.
Online shopping can be useful in the early stages of an emerging SHTF event.

What’s in Your Shopping Cart?

If the you-know-what is hitting the fan, do you have time to go shopping? Will UPS and Fedex still deliver? And if so, what should you order?
This is a good looking frame of capped brood for this early in the year. he queen laid a good pattern and if you look closely, you can see just-hatched bees emerging from their cells.

It was a Tough Winter for our Honey Bees

The weeks of bitter cold weather in January took their toll on Pete's bees, but enough hives made it through he can rebuild his apiary.
The IBC Tote positioned outside the house near our solar inverter and a woodpile. When filled with water, this will give us 275 gallons of water for firefighting.

Setting up an IBC Tote as a Firefighting Tank

Preparing for the possibility of forest fires, we set up and test our first IBC tote. It holds 275 gallons of water we can use to fight brush fires.
I stacked and sorted our canned foods as part of the inventory process.

Do Prepping and Hoarding go Together like Peas and Carrots?

People talk about hoarding like its a bad thing. Maybe it is if you can't control it, but stockpiling goes hand-in-hand with prepping.
Destruction in Ukraine as a result of Russian attacks.

Europe Rededicates itself to War in the Face of Peace

While Trump brings Putin to the Peace Table, Europe seems to be embracing the war. But as the EU re-invests in its military, the danger grows.
Pete replaced the lock on his gun safe. As you can see, the old one had taken some abuse.

Channeling my Inner Locksmith to Upgrade my Security

How we renovated and updated the old gun safe that came with the house, including replacing the old mechanical combination lock with a better model.
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