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 […]
Christmas Wants vs Needs
Turkey carcasses are cold, and those thrifty (and insane) ones are out shopping their little fingers to the bone, fighting over Elmo, Cabbage Patch Kids, Wii, or whatever is the “gotta have it” thing this year. Folks stayed up overnight outside of stores, or possibly even in stores that stayed open all night long, and […]
Thanksgiving 2012
First, why re you reading this tripe? You should be spending time watching parades, visiting with friends and/or family, and eating defenseless animals that barely resemble their wild cousins allegedly eaten at the first Thanksgiving. And if you are not in the United States, shouldn’t you be working or something? But you’ve read this far, […]
cooking, food preservation, how-to, meat, Paleo, prep list, projects, recipes, reviews, self sufficiency
Product Review: Hi Mountain Hickory Blend Jerky Kit and Making Dehydrator Jerky
Note: This product was purchased by me personally. No payment (or even contact) was made by the company, other than to state my order was received and the tracking info on the shipment. This is an unbiased, unpaid opinion. MY opinion. I was talking on the phone with BlueTang about jerky, as he had just […]
A Change of Plans
Every year for the last five or six years, we’ve spent the week of Thanksgiving, from Monday before to the following Sunday, in West Virginia with some good friends and family. We play cards, laugh, reminisce, and tell lies like all friends do with each other. On Friday, we’d go into town and see the […]
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 […]