USS Nimitz Moves Into the Caribbean as Trump Threatens to Invade Communist Cuba

Many patients prepare extensively for the procedure itself — but recovery preparation often gets overlooked.

Healing increases demand for nutrients involved in tissue repair, immune support, collagen production, and recovery. HealFast was designed specifically to support the body before and after surgery with physician-formulated nutritional support created for the recovery process.

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I made sauerkraut for the first time three weeks ago. Cabbage, salt, a jar, and time. That's it. No canning equipment, no heat, no electricity. Three weeks later: tangy, probiotic-rich sauerkraut that will keep in the fridge for months. Fermentation might be the simplest food preservation method that nobody uses anymore.

Here's what I've got this Sunday.

Fermentation: Preservation That Improves Your Food

We covered canning in Issue 43 and dehydrating in Issue 81. Fermentation is the third pillar of food preservation, and it's arguably the simplest. No special equipment. No heat. No electricity. Just salt, water, vegetables, and time.

Lacto-fermentation (the kind used for sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, and fermented hot sauce) works by creating an environment where beneficial bacteria (lactobacillus) thrive and harmful bacteria can't survive. Salt draws water out of vegetables, creating a brine. The lactobacillus, naturally present on the vegetables, convert sugars into lactic acid, which preserves the food and creates that characteristic tangy flavor.

The basic process: chop vegetables, mix with 2% to 3% salt by weight, pack tightly into a jar, keep submerged under brine, cover loosely (fermentation produces CO2 that needs to escape), and wait 3 to 14 days at room temperature. That's it.

Sauerkraut is the starting point. Shred cabbage, mix with salt (about 1 tablespoon per pound), massage until it releases liquid, pack into a jar, weigh down with a smaller jar or fermentation weight, and cover. In 3 to 7 days, you have sauerkraut. It keeps in the refrigerator for 6 to 12 months, or at cool room temperature for weeks.

Vinegar pickling is even simpler for short-term preservation. Heat vinegar with salt, sugar, and spices. Pour over vegetables in jars. Refrigerate. Ready in 24 hours. Keeps for 2 to 3 months in the fridge. Not true fermentation, but a practical quick-preservation method.

For preparedness, fermentation extends the life of fresh produce without electricity, adds beneficial probiotics that support gut health (especially important during stress), and requires only salt as a consumable supply. Salt stores indefinitely. If you have salt and fresh vegetables (from your garden, a farmer's market, or a community source), you can preserve food.

Make a small batch of sauerkraut.

One small cabbage, one tablespoon of salt, one mason jar. Shred, salt, massage, pack, cover. Check in 3 to 5 days. Your first fermented food costs under $2 and teaches a skill that works without any modern technology.

US Credit Card and Auto Loan Delinquencies Now Comparable to Great Recession Levels

Wolf Street’s Q1 2026 household debt analysis found auto loan delinquencies at a new record high and credit card delinquencies near record levels. Household debt-to-income ratios are rising, collections are accelerating, and bankruptcies are increasing.

When household credit is stretched to the limit, there is no buffer between a normal month and a crisis. A single job loss, medical bill, or price spike can trigger a cascade. Delinquency rates at Great Recession levels mean millions of households are already at that edge — with no cushion to absorb the next shock.

Source: Wolf Street

Les Stroud writes in Beyond Survivorman about food preservation as a survival multiplier. In any extended wilderness or disruption scenario, the ability to preserve food means you can take advantage of abundance when it appears and store it for when it doesn't.

Stroud has fermented and preserved food in wilderness conditions using nothing more than containers, salt, and time. His perspective: the methods your great-grandparents used to preserve food through winter are the same methods that work during any disruption. They don't need electricity. They don't need special equipment. They need knowledge, which is the one supply that never runs out and never expires.

Beyond Survivorman by Les Stroud — Stroud’s account of learning survival and preservation methods from indigenous peoples worldwide. Available on Amazon.

USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group Moves Into Caribbean — Trump Threatens Cuba Invasion

US Southern Command confirmed the USS Nimitz and its strike group arrived in the Caribbean on May 20, accompanied by destroyer USS Gridley and oiler USNS Patuxent. The Pentagon has positioned the group to provide a rapid strike option if President Trump orders action against Cuba. Trump has escalated pressure on Havana with threats of invasion; former leader Raúl Castro has reportedly been indicted, and the US has tightened restrictions on energy flows to the island.

A US military operation in the Caribbean would likely cause energy and shipping disruptions across the Gulf Coast and Southeast — compounding the pressure already bearing down on food and fuel supply chains.

Source: Antiwar.com, NavyTimes

Masontops Complete Fermentation Kit

This kit includes fermentation weights, airlocks, and lids that fit standard wide-mouth mason jars. The weights keep vegetables submerged (critical for preventing mold), and the airlocks let CO2 escape without allowing air in.

I've used it for sauerkraut, pickled jalapenos, and fermented hot sauce. The airlock lids eliminate the need to "burp" jars daily, and the glass weights are easier to clean than improvised solutions.

The kit works with jars you likely already own. Setup is simple: add weight, attach airlock lid, fill airlock with water, done. About $20 for a kit that fits four jars.

Budget alternative: A zip-lock bag filled with brine, placed on top of your vegetables as both a weight and a seal. Free, effective, and used by fermentation experts worldwide.

Overrated: Specialized fermentation crocks. They're beautiful and traditional, but a mason jar with a weight works identically for small batches. Save the $50 to $100 until you're fermenting regularly and want to scale up.

Underrated: Fermented hot sauce. Blend hot peppers with salt, ferment for a week, add vinegar, and blend smooth. The result is better than any store-bought hot sauce and keeps for months. It transforms bland stored food into something worth eating.

Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz — The definitive book on home fermentation.

Extension.org: Fermented Foods — University guidance on safe fermentation practices.

Cultures for Health — Starters, equipment, and tutorials.

Grokipedia: Fermentation — Background on fermentation science and history.

YouTube: "Beginner Sauerkraut Tutorial" — Visual guides for your first batch.

Night navigation and low-light skills. How to move, observe, and operate when the lights go out.

PS: That first batch of sauerkraut cost me $1.50 and 10 minutes of active work. Three weeks later, I had a quart of preserved food that tastes better than anything I could buy. Some preparedness skills pay for themselves immediately and might even come with bragging rights.

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