Mary Blandford, Author at Survivor Mom

image: womans hand holding woven basket of how to forage wild foods

How to Forage: Learn the Basics of How to Feed Yourself with Wild Foods

May 14, 2023 May 15, 2023 / 6 Comments

Learning what wild edibles are in your local area is an excellent way to connect with nature, learn about traditional food sources, and gain a greater appreciation for the environment around you. It’s important to research and identify the plants, fungi, and other organisms that grow in your area, and to learn how to distinguish edible species from poisonous ones. There are many resources available, such as field guides, online forums, and local experts, that can help you get started.

image: chicory coffee in glass coffee cup beside chicory plant and dish of roasted, ground chicory root

How to Make Chicory Coffee: A Simple Guide to A Tasty Alternative to Coffee

April 9, 2023 April 10, 2023 / 16 Comments

Chicory is a natural addition to a prepper’s holistic survival plan. The root of the chicory plant can be roasted and used as a coffee substitute, providing a caffeine-free alternative that can be stored for long periods of time. Chicory leaves are also edible and can be added to salads or cooked as a vegetable.

Additionally, chicory has been used for centuries as a natural remedy for a variety of ailments, including digestive issues, liver problems, and inflammation. With its versatility and health benefits, chicory is a smart choice for preppers looking to stock up on essential supplies.

image: spile tapping maple tree with bucket catching dripping sap

Make Your Own Maple Syrup: The Complete Guide to Tapping Maple Trees

February 1, 2023 February 2, 2023 / 2 Comments

Tapping maple trees, collecting the sap, and making maple syrup is not only a fulfilling experience but also increases self-reliance. No worries about supply chain issues disrupting your pancake breakfast! Plus, making maple syrup is not something that everyone can do; it’s unique and therefore potentially of great value for a side business.

image: gloved hand holding parasite in petrie dish; parasites in humans

How to Identify and Treat Parasites in Humans: A Concise Guide

July 20, 2022 July 20, 2022 / 33 Comments

Parasites are organisms that rely on other organisms for survival. They may live inside the human body or on the surface of the skin and cause illnesses and other health problems. Find out how to identify and treat common parasites, including lice and pinworms, here.

image: honeycomb, bees, beekeeping, beehive

Beekeeping For Beginners

April 8, 2021 May 3, 2023 / 16 Comments

For some time, I’ve been wanting to start a beehive. I really enjoy the local honey and use it in many recipes. I also use it medicinally for soothing a sore throat and applying over cuts and scrapes. So, in preparation for this new venture, I joined the local Beekeeping chapter in Northwest Indiana. I began attending meetings to learn more about what I was getting myself into. I was very impressed with how helpful everyone was and they …

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SHTF Healthcare: The Amazing Benefits of Photo Light Therapy

February 24, 2017 May 30, 2020 / 9 Comments

As a nurse, I am always looking for alternative methods of healing. Should we have a natural disaster, societal unrest, or pandemic, I want to find ways of taking care of my family’s medical needs. In those types of scenarios, a hospital itself could be lost or overwhelmed with patients during a crisis of some sort. I’m also not a fan of hospitals anyway, which are just large Petri dishes of highly resistant germs and microbes. It’s so ironic, that I am …

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Survival Mom DIY: Build Your Own Fresnel Lens

May 23, 2016 May 28, 2020 / 6 Comments

The story of my DIY Fresnel lens began three years ago when I lost my house and all its contents in a fire. It started around 4:00 a.m. when my daughter got up and fluffed her job uniform in the dryer. We had no idea the dryer would short out and burn through a gas line. Later that same morning, I woke up and smelled smoke. It looked a bit hazy in the house, and it smelled acrid to me, so I woke …

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Learning to Ride a Motorcycle: A Valuable Skill During SHTF

March 13, 2016 June 22, 2022 / 12 Comments

I’m probably the last person who should be trying to get a license to ride a motorcycle, but I did anyway. I’m a small woman in my fifties, a nurse, a wife, a mother of four adult kids, and a grandmother to two grandsons. Why on earth did I want to do this? I decided I need to pick up an unusual skill, one that people would not expect of me… It’s good to let folks underestimate you; it may …

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How to Profit from Collecting & Selling Scrap Gold

March 6, 2016 May 21, 2020 / 12 Comments

I’ve been collecting scrap metal for as long as I can remember. As a kid, my siblings and I would pick scrap metal from trash left out on garbage days. We would find copper wire, junk auto parts, pop cans – basically anything our dad could take us to sell at the scrap yard. It was labor intensive work for kids, but we were a lower middle income family that liked making something out of nothing. But, one day while …

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Mushroom Cultivation & Foraging

January 4, 2016 August 14, 2022 / Leave a Comment

I love to hunt wild mushrooms in the summer and fall in Northwest Indiana. I usually go out in June through October for Pheasantback (Dryads Saddle), Oyster, Sheepshead (Maitake), Puffballs, Chicken of the Woods, and Boletes. I like having fresh ingredients to prepare to eat as soon as I get home. I can also sautee them and freeze them for later use. It also gives me some exercise, sunlight, and a chance to inhale all the wonderful smells of fall …

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