I originally started writing this as a means of getting things off my chest. As I started to develop a few readers, I realized some of my BS was actually entertaining, possibly even educational. This has evolved into a
Posts in the skills category:
DIY Bird Plucker
My Muscovy ducks have grown out to the appropriate size, so it’s time to start harvesting. If you’ve seen my post, Muscovy Ducks – Yard to Table, you saw just how long it took me to pluck one…over 45 minutes! Mind you, it was the first bird I’d plucked in over 20 years, but even […]
animals, cooking, food preservation, how-to, Knives, meat, Muscovy ducks, Paleo, recipes, reviews, self sufficiency, skills
Muscovy Ducks – Yard to Table
For the faint of heart, and/or the vegans. Be warned that this post includes descriptions and video of animals being dispatched for food. If you don’t like the thought of facing your food, don’t bother to read any further. I’m not writing this to make friends, or enemies. I’m writing this because some folks want […]
Vinegar Experiment : Results!
Remember when I took a gallon of not-so-good homemade wine and tried turning it into vinegar? I didn’t for quite a while…in fact, I expected that from myself: “I like projects that thrive on neglect. I tend to forget about them for months at a time, a good thing when you are supposed to wait…this […]
Rabbit Cages
This is about the lessons I’ve learned from raising rabbits. Most of these are self-taught, and mostly due to doing things the wrong way the first time. And sometimes second. This is also timely for a couple of reasons. I’ve given out some rabbit samples to some co-conspirators that wanted to try it, thinking they […]
‘Tis the Season…..Wabbit (Breeding) Season!
The weather has eased away from the oppressive heat that makes having a fur coat unpleasant, and being pregnant downright miserable. So I opt to stop breeding my rabbits in the heat of summer. Since the weather has eased, approximately 30 days ago, I bred two of my does to my AlTex Buck. AlTex is […]
How to turn sweat, grit and determination into a flame
(Note: This is NOT so much a “How-To” as much as a narrative of “How It Went”. While you can get the general idea of how to use a bow drill to start a fire by reading this, many other sources offer more detailed information. Better still, find someone that already knows how and have […]
After the Fire
When I was about 10 years old, my brother and I were playing with matches and a lighter out in the woods. In a fit of stupidity, we ignited a patch of grass that got out of hand. The fire quickly spread to a nearby hillside, and we did what we thought was best
Pine Pitch Glue – Nature’s Epoxy
Over the weekend, while at Green Earth Survival School’s Primitive Skills class, we covered making a very effective adhesive from pine sap. The process, like most primitive skills, is wondrously simple. Collect sap from pine trees. Heat it. Add bulking agents. Use it. It is waterproof and strong. Let’s break down the process to clarify how its […]