50 Ways to Build Resilient Wealth Before and After a Collapse

by Todd Walker

“Lordy, we’s got to have a doctor! I don’t know nothin’ ’bout birthin babies!”

That’s when Scarlett says, “You told me you knew everything!”

“I don’t know why I lied!”

Does this famous scene from “Gone With The Wind” sum up how you feel sometimes? You feel you don’t know nothing about escaping the caged wheel inside your cubicle.

That may be true, but you do know enough to turn your knowledge and skills into extra income.

The best place to succeed is where you are with what you have ~ Charles Schwab

Conventional prepper wisdom tells us to get our beans, bullets, and Band Aids in order. This strategy, which I embrace, begs the question(s): What then? What do you do after you have squirreled away this consumable stuff? Is it enough? How long before your stuff runs out? How long before the rubber seals on your buckets deteriorate?

These questions nag you like a loose tooth.

Once you come to the un-Pollyannic conclusion that your survival cache will run out,  you have to ask the main question, “Is survival enough?” Maybe it is – for the short-term.

Survival skills and stuff are necessary after any disaster. Merely surviving is not what I signed up for in my preparedness contract. You probably didn’t either. You’d like to have your post-SHTF coffee and drink it too – with heavy whipping cream! Could I do without? Sure, for short periods of time.

This requires an outside-the-bunker mindset (unless you enjoy bunker living). If you plan is to hunker down in a remote, hidden hole somewhere, you’ll have to eventually come up for air where the zombies and biker gangs rome. Stuff runs out.

Adopting a non-survivalist mentality may fit the bunker-less among us – present company included. What’s that mean? This is the Survival Sherpa blog, right? Correct. But there’s more to us than mere survival. We promote a lifestyle that would be worth living both now and after economic collapse.

I’ve read that during the Great Depression, the deficit was 40% of our total US GDP. Today it’s 105%. I’m on the tail end of the baby boomer generation. I don’t have plans to retire. I’m not dreaming of eating crumbs from the Social Security Ponzi scheme.

What’s our strategy? Build resilience physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, and spiritually. This is our long-term strategy. It takes time. But it’s worth the effort and investment.

When our fiat dollars become useful only in the outhouse and fireplace, you’ll be ahead of the herd. The key to producing resilient wealth now and after a collapse is to find a way to add value and improve the quality of life for others.

Here’s a few ideas that will help you build resilient skills that produce wealth before and possible after the illusion explodes.

[I've designated each with 'Pre', 'Post', or 'Both'. The transfer of some 'Pre' items to a post-collapse world will be dependent on things like technology and available resources like electricity or the internet. Make use of these modern conveniences while we've got them. Many on my list will transfer to 'Post' seamlessly. I hope 'Both' is self-explanatory.]

1. Pre: Write an e-book and self-publish.

2. Pre: Publish instructional videos and tutorials.

3. Both: Nanny for kids and elderly

4. Both: Food buyers club. The relationships you build with food producers would carry over into a post collapse environment.

5. Pre: Freelance writing

6. Both: Blacksmithing and metal work

7. Both: Seamstress

8. Both: Carpentry

9. Both: Plumbing/Electrical – especially for installing alternative energy systems.

10. Both: Cooking. People have to eat. We enjoy good food. Market your recipes. Tess Pennington over at Ready Nutrition has done just that with her new book, “The Prepper’s Cookbook.”

11. Both: Medical skills. After the SHTF, the free market will determine who’s capable in the field of medicine – not a framed piece of paper on an office wall.

12. Both: Wild food foraging. Learn more on this here.

13. Both: Education/tutoring service

14. Both: Musician/Entertainer

15. Both: Build a barter network

16. Both: Animal husbandry

17. Both: Gardening/permaculture

18. Both: Gunsmith

19: Both: Mechanic for diesel and gas engines

20. Both: Biodiesel production

21. Both: Well boring. Having the equipment to bore water wells makes you a valuable asset.

22. Both: Portable sawmill. People will always want and need lumber. In a post collapse world, energy to run a mill might be a challenge. Explore steam power and biodiesel as alternative fuel.

23. Both: Draft animal trainer. This skill might be more valuable in a post world.

24. Both: Timber frame construction. In the past, raising a barn or home with primitive tools within a community was common place. Having the skills and tools to do so would ensure place you at the top of the producer list in your group.

25: Both: Alternative energy expert – solar, hydro, wood gasification, etc.

26: Both: Make charcoal. It’s mainly a hobby in our pre world. I can see it being value adder after a collapse.

27: Both: Heavy equipment operator. Barter with the guy making biodiesel to keep the machines running.

28. Both: Lumberjack. Post world lumberjack tools will look much different from today. Axes, crosscut saws, draft animals and sleds, files, wedges, and sledgehammers come to mind.

29. Both: Preserving food – smoking, pickling, canning, etc. Practicing more primitive techniques now would be useful in a post world.

30. Both: Building chicken coops/tractors for backyard poultry.

31. Both: Unconventional housing – cob, bail, rammed earth, earth homes, etc.

32. Both: Mobil butcher and meat processor. Instead of hauling livestock to a distant location, this local option might be welcomed by farmers. This would bridge a gap from farm to dinner plate.

33. Both: Marketing and distribution of products. This service bridges the gap between the producers and the consumers. Start small and keep it local. Look for bigger opportunities to grow your business. It’s a win-win-win for the producer, consumer, and you.

34. Both: Distilling spirits. If you don’t think alcohol will be in demand after TSHTF, think again. Its role won’t be just consumption either. Think medicinal and sanitation.

35. Both: Water purification. Essential to life.

36. Both: Appliance repair man/woman. Fixing stuff that breaks is a skill worth knowing.

37. Both: Dumpster diving. A friend of mine rescues ‘trash’ that he finds in dumps. His most recent find was a 18 volt Dewalt drill. He tinkered with it and now uses it in his construction business. Trash into treasure.

38. Both: Soap and candle maker. Handmade soaps and candles are very popular now. Could you become one of these local artisans?

39. Both: Shoe repair/leather work. My mama has the shoe lass that her daddy used to make and repair shoes for her and her nine siblings during the Great Depression.

40. Both: Herbalist. Healing with herbs and homeopathic methods.

41. Both: Luxury items. Even in a post collapse world, we will want our creature comforts to make life seem more normal. Small things like chocolate or a steaming cup of coffee would brighten things up.

42. Pre: Sell stuff on eBay, Craigslist, and other online sites.

43. Pre: Blogging. The vast majority of blogs don’t make big money. Successful sites make lots of money. The conventional approach is to produce great content which draws high traffic. You would then sell advertising on your site. I made a decision to not use advertising on this blog. I’m getting lots of requests from vendors to advertise here. But I want to stick with my no advertising policy.

44. Pre: Photography. Sell your stock photos online.

45. Both: Own land. They don’t make anymore of this stuff. Productive farmland has doubled in price since last year. Even with small acreage, people are able to produce supplemental income. Our local farmers market has several vendors that use limited space to grow and sell organic vegetables.

46. Both: Lease your skills. Offer your knowledge through classes. Build authority in your field and teach others the skills you’ve honed for a fee.

47. Both: Sell seeds. We take for granted that we can run to the garden center and buy seeds for our garden. Heirloom, open-pollenated varieties are hard to come by locally. You could start a seed swap if your area doesn’t have a community of seed savers. Here’s a rare seed company you might be interested in checking out.

48. Consulting. This list alone could go on for pages. For our intent here, we’ll stick to the realm of sustainability, survival, prepping, and resilience: Water, energy, security, food, etc. There are few limits to the list. Be creative. Build authority. Add value.

49. Pre. Retreat and relocation service. Survival Blog has several examples of everyday folks who have developed niche markets to serve Mr. Rawles’ vision of moving to sparsely populated areas. He has promoted the American Redoubt on his site for people wanting to and are able to relocate. You can read Pastor Chuck Baldwin’s reasons for moving to Montana here. A son of Mr. Rawles operates SurvivalRealty.com aimed at helping find survival retreats. Todd Savage started Survival Retreat Consulting to help serve this niche market.

50. Both: Midwifery. How valuable would it be if Prissy possessed these skills? I don’t know nothing about birthing babies. Do you?

This is a simple list to get you thinking. More came to my mind when compiling this list. But I figured 50 was a good, round number to get us started. What would you add? Add yours in the comment section.

Keep doing the stuff,

Todd

P.S.

Please feel free to use this anyway you wish. Sharing part or all of this post is fine with me. Simply include a link to this website giving credit to the author.

Related articles

• This One Step is Guaranteed to Continually Improve Your Preps (survivalsherpa.wordpress.com)
• One Year In Hell…Lessons From A Societal Collapse (fromthetrenchesworldreport.com)

 

Charcuterie: Off The Grid Food Storage For Meats

Ever eat cured raw pork?On my list skills to learn is the lost art of off grid meat preservation. I can meats, store meat in the freezer, and have some canned seafood in our primal pantry. What happens when the fragile electrical grid goes down? Leaning to cure meat for long-term storage would be a great skill for bartering, building resilient preps, and, well, it’s just plain cool to see meat hanging from the ceiling in your basement or root cellar.

Caroline Cooper has an interesting article on her blog (eatkamloops) about a technique I’ve never heard of or was able to pronounce. Click here for the proper pronunciation. It’s fun to say and sounds like it’d be fun to make and eat.

Any of y’all ever tried making charcuterie? I’d like to hear from you.

Pantry Foods: Charcuterie

Source: eatkamloops

Charcuterie adds a wonderful element to winter pantry food. A small slice of cured meat goes a long way with its rich flavor. With traditional charcuterie there is a natural order to when the cured meats are ready and when the cured meats should be eaten.

“These dry-cured meats and sausages, almost always sliced thin, are dense and chewy, with a strong, dry-cured flavor and smooth, satiny fat. When we eat them, we’re most often eating pork that’s never gone above room temperature, let along come close to the 150F recommended by government. And yet, properly prepared, these are perfectly safe to eat. There really is nothing similar to eating cured raw meat — it has a flavor and an effect like no other food.”

Charcuterie: The Craft and Salting, Smoking and Curing by Michael Ruhlman

Raw cured ribs are the first cured product to come out of the cellar. Sliced thinly, the sweet meat of the ribs is a wonderful contrast to the salty cure. One rib will satisfy.

I just wanted to share a few pictures of the cured pork my husband Shaen made with the expert mentoring from Joe Trotta. Charcuterie is not an easy craft to learn from books. Charcuterie is a craft best passed down from the older generation to the younger generation. If you are interested in learning the craft, I have no books for you, or courses you can take. You will just have to look around and find someone knowledgeable in the craft and someone willing to mentor you in the techniques. If you can find someone to show you how to cure raw meats, the process becomes simple, and the stress of wondering if you are doing it right, is greatly reduced.

Two warnings. Hurry up and learn. Many of the people who know these techniques are older. Many have children that do not value the wisdom that came from the old country and have never learned the craft. These old techniques are dying with the people, and unless we learn their knowledge, the knowledge will pass out of this world. If you are a professional cook or chef, you will have to empty your cup of knowledge, if you want to learn traditional charcuterie. Everything you think you know about FOODSAFE is wrong regarding these foods. If you come to traditional cured foods with your own ideas of how to do it right, you will likely miss the mark, and mess up the process. Saying “Oh my God, that isn’t safe,” is meaningless and disrespectful to someone who has eaten these foods their whole life.

This is raw cured bacon with sea salt and paprika. The sticks help keep the bacon flat and stop it from curling. This is the second cured product out of the cellar. Very few people have enjoyed the flavor of raw bacon. It can be cooked but you will miss the satiny smoothness of the fat.

“Dry-curing results in a beautiful type of sausage, the most individualistic, idiosyncratic, and temperamental sausage there is, precisely because of its reliance on atmospheric conditions, which change all year round, and the presence of varying microflora in the air.”

Soppressata is the third cured product out of the cellar. Soppressata is made from raw pork, sea salt and paprika which is stuffed into the pig’s intestine. There is no curing salts or other ingredients. Soppressata’s flat appearance is from pressing to help remove air from the salami.

But when your sausage has dried just right, and you slice it thin, and the interior is a glistening deep crimson red with bright pearly chunks of fat, it is incredibly exciting. This is real mastery over the food we prepare. To make a home-cured pork sausage, with just salt and pepper for seasoning, is a deeply gratifying experience, like making a great wine.”

Soppressata is hung by it’s string on clothes hangers cut into hooks. Soppressata with its white coat is an eerie sight in the cellar. The white coating is safe to eat though traditional Italian sausage makers like Joe wipe the soppressata with vinegar and water to remove the coating.

Mastering the technique of transforming raw meat and fat, whether a sausage or a whole muscle, into something delicious without using heat, enhances your ability to work with all food. This is true craftsmanship, craftsmanship aiming for art, a craft reliant on the cook’s skill and knowledge and, perhaps, a little bit of divine intervention.”

Divine intervention indeed. Or maybe just allowing for the peaceful co-existence of humans with their helpful bacterial friends. When you cure long-term your household will become colonized with helpful microbiota. If you would like to learn more about traditional Italian curing please see: Pantry Foods: Fast Cured Green Olives.

Related articles

• Bacon, sausage and ham, oh my. Learn charcuterie at Save on Meats (blogs.vancouversun.com)

The Virtue of Industry

Originally published at The Organic Prepper and reprinted here with the author’s permission. 

by Daisy Luther

Times are stressful.  In many homes, there are unopened bills in the basket by the door.  Bank accounts are in overdraft.  Every week the charges at the grocery store are a little bit higher than the week before, and for less food.  Kids want new clothes and that latest video game, the car needs to be fixed and people’s jobs are draining the very life from them.

It is vital to take time out of the day to relax.  It rejuvenates you, improves your health, and calms your mind so that you can think more clearly.

When you have a million and one things to do, though, sometimes it’s difficult to force yourself to stop.  This is because stress releases two hormones into your body: adrenaline and cortisol. Excesses of these hormones can cause blood pressure spikes, food cravings that lead to weight gain, and heart disease, to name just a few of the pitfalls.

Many folks decide they need a hobby, and that hobby ends up either costing them money with nothing to show for it, or it kills off a few brain cells as the person sits there, passively entertained in an altered state in front of the television or a video game.

Studies have shown that watching television induces low alpha waves in the human brain. Alpha waves are brainwaves between 8 to 12 HZ. and are commonly associated with … brain states associated with suggestibility…Too much time spent in the low Alpha wave state caused by TV can cause unfocused daydreaming and inability to concentrate….Advertisers have known about this for a long time and they know how to take advantage of this passive, suggestible, brain state of the TV viewer. There is no need for an advertiser to use subliminal messages. The brain is already in a receptive state, ready to absorb suggestions, within just a few seconds of the television being turned on. All advertisers have to do is flash a brand across the screen, and then attempt to make the viewer associate the product with something positive. (source)

Passivity actually opens up the door to your brain and allows you to be programmed – mass media uses this as a tool, by promoting ideas (like gun control, acceptance of the “big brother” philosophy, or the politically correct flavor of the month).  It inhibits your critical thinking skills and leaves your brain craving even more time in this low Alpha state.  This is the reason that some people sit blankly in front of the TV for hours every night, until they fall asleep on the couch and then get up to do it all again.

Because of this, it’s important to choose your spare time activities in a manner that enhances your brain function, instead of reducing it.  In a world where entertainment means playing on your Iphone or sharing photos on Facebook, opting for industry for your downtime can be an unusual choice.  But, stepping outside the path of the herd and choosing productive hobbies is a great way to relax.  What’s more, if your brain is engaged in an activity while you view a television program or movie, then you are not as susceptible to messages, either subliminal or blatant.  This means that you don’t actually have to keep the TV turned off at night – you just need to refrain from zoning out in front of it.

In 1726, 20 year old Benjamin Franklin sought to cultivate his character.  He listed off the thirteen virtues that he  believed were important to living a good life, one of which was industry.  Franklin wrote of this characteristic, ” Industry: Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.”  He believed that the pursuit of productivity would build character and help the practitioner to lead a more successful and moral life.  In his autobiography Franklin wrote, “I hope, therefore, that some of my descendants may follow the example and reap the benefit.”

We can absolutely apply Franklin’s philosophy of industriousness and productivity to our lives today.  When choosing leisure activities, consider opting for a productive hobby.

It should either…

• Teach something
• Create something
• Repair something
• Improve something

That leaves the door wide open to a broad range of choices!  If you tend to be an overachiever, then you can relax without the guilt of worrying about all the things that you “should” be doing instead of chilling out.

 

Think back to the days before television.  People worked hard all day long, producing food, cutting wood, cooking, hunting, building…it was a full time job to survive and thrive.  In the evenings, by candlelight, they could stop and put their feet up for a while.  Books were not widely available like they are now, so families passed the time by performing stitchery, carving, making furniture, mending things and creating items that made their lives more pleasant and beautiful. Sometimes a family member would read aloud, play an instrument or sing.  Time was of value and not to be wasted, and there was rarely money to spare on an “evening out”.

Productive hobbies not only improve your brain – they can save you money and better your chances for thriving in a post-SHTF world.  The ability to create or repair something will improve your standard of living and provide you with valuable skills for barter should an economic collapse occur.  Time spent teaching your children these skills will, in turn, pass down arts that would otherwise be lost to generations of the future, while helping your child become a more critical thinker and problem solver.

Following are some examples of productive hobbies.

• Reading
• Sewing clothing, curtains and soft furnishings
• Knitting and crocheting
• Carving
• Repairing broken items
• Mending
• Darning socks
• Building furniture
• Making pottery
• Cooking and baking
• Writing
• Drawing and creating art
• Playing an Instrument
• Singing
• Archery
• Making cards
• Making jewelry
• Fletching
• Gunsmithing
• Making ammo
• Welding and soldering
• Learning a language
• Doing a puzzle
• Playing a word, math or strategy game
• Marksmanship
• Exercise
• Gardening
• Preserving food
• Practicing outdoor skills like hiking, camping and foraging

The list is endless but those are a few suggestions.  How do you unwind?  What do you like to do in your spare time?

Author bio: Daisy Luther is a freelance writer and editor.  Her website, The Organic Prepper, offers information on healthy prepping, including premium nutritional choices, general wellness and non-tech solutions. You can follow Daisy on Facebook and Twitter, and you can email her at daisy@theorganicprepper.ca

7 Steps to Uncovering Your Hidden Handicraft for Survival

by Todd Walker

If tools could talk.

A few of my hand tools

I love working with my hands. Connecting with my project takes me away to another time, another dimension.

When life gets too crazy, I tell Dirt Road Girl I’m going to my shop. The sight of tools, the smell of sawdust, and unfinished projects brings me back to center. I walk over and pick up an antique brace and bit or draw knife hanging on my wall. How many old timers used these tools to craft a chair or build a barn? My hand touches history – and our culture.

I own new tools that are very useful and have their place and function. Yet I was drawn to the old hickory handled hammer this past weekend while working on my new compost tumbler – the hammer my daddy gave me many years ago. He added many scars to its wood grain before passing it on to me.

I exercised my artistic muscle for Christmas of 2011. I took some old plumbing tools Daddy gave me over the years and designed a name plaque that reads “WALKER”. It’s hanging on his wall as you enter my boyhood home. It’s a reminder to him, and all who enter, the place of honor tools have in our family.

There’s also a connection between handmade, artisan handicraft items and our individual health. Visual arts, music, dance, and even expressive writing are effective in decrease stress and anxiety, reducing heart rates, and boost our desire to continue the healing process. Our youngest daughter painted DRG an oil painting of her favorite flower. It hangs near the kitchen lifting DRG’s spirit with every glance.

Oil painting by our youngest daughter

The doom and gloom in survival fiction often times portrays man reverting to dark age living. I understand the effects of some natural or man-made end of the world scenario. You know, the collapse of civilization stuff. Heavy stuff which I have neither the time nor desire to get into at this point. My purpose here is to point out the need and importance of working with our hands, developing artisan skills, and passing on lost/forgotten skills to future generations.

Our primitive ancestors depended upon skilled artisans to craft weapons for hunting and defense, brew beer/ale, harness fire for warmth/cooking/light, make baskets and containers from reeds and clay, and stitch clothing from hides and sinew. Their function and contribution built resilience in their family and tribe. They added value. They produced.

It’s so simple even cavemen and cave-babes did it. How hard can it be? An over simplification, I know. Or not.

You’re probably thinking to yourself that we can’t all be great writers, sculptors, and artisans of handicraft. You might be right. But even pursuing one new hobby or craft you’ve always wanted to try might be the spark needed to inspire the creative artisan inside you.

The degree we develop our skills and art not only adds function and beauty, but may increase our chances of survival and ability to thrive during chaos. At the very least, working with our hands offers stress release and sense of satisfaction that we created something  that didn’t previously exist.

If you’re cooped up in an office pushing pencils and paper, staring at glowing screens like so many other desk jockeys, you owe it to yourself to find a way to get your hands dirty and cleanse your soul. Here are few things on my artisan to-do list:

• Soap Making. I got interested in saponification a few years ago. If you’re interested, there’s lots of info on the net and in book form. I bought The Everything Soapmaking Book for recipes. Hooking up with someone who has experience is always a great way to learn. There is a good chance you’ll find a local soap artisan in your area. THANK YOU TIME. Just before Christmas Darlene, a soap artisan in FL, sent me a bar of shaving soap to try with my traditional shaving equipment. I absolutely love her soap’s scent, lather, and texture on my skin. Darlene makes soap for people and puppies: body soap, shaving soap, and shampoo bars. She sells her soap locally but will ship to anywhere you are. You can find her on Facebook here: Doll Babies Farm Goat’s Milk Soap.
• Permaculture. I’ve grown gardens most of my life but never practiced permaculture. Permaculture design emphasizes patterns of landscape, function, and species assemblies. It asks the question, “Where does this element go? How can it be placed for the maximum benefit of the system?” It seems to be a natural extension of sustainable living. Any tips or resources for a newbie like me are welcome.
• Resilience in health, food, water, and preparedness. Thanks to conversations with a blogger friend over at Resilient News, my entire attitude toward preparedness and self-reliance is being challenged. Being better situated to bounce back from surprises is part of every preppers mindset. Storing consumable stuff that will eventually run out is a good strategy to get you through a crisis. However, DRG and I are now focusing on building resources that are sustainable, robust, and resilient. Another good source I’ve come across is Resilient Communities.

7 Ideas to Help You Discover the Artisan Within

If you have no interests, you’re not interesting. Here are some Sherpa steps to get you in touch with your lurking artisan within. You’ll also receive the added bonus of having something interesting to say at your next social gathering other than who de-friended you on Facebook.

A.) Be Selfish. Not in a narcissistic way. Find stuff that stirs interest in you. Who cares if it’s popular or taboo. Block the voice of conformity. Every time I cave to someone’s political correct ideals, I lose 10% of my effectiveness. Carve some time out for you and protect it furiously. Feed your soul before expecting to offer any value to others. Be generous to yourself in a non-navel gazing way – unless that’s some yoga position.

B.) Connect with tradition. My mom still has the paper towel holder I made her in 7th grade industrial arts class. Bring shop class back! She also has the shoe lass that her my granddaddy used to repair the shoes of his ten children during the Great Depression. The tools of artisans tell the story of people we’ve never met. Mom’s storytelling motivates me to carry on the tradition. Blue-hairs have jewels of wisdom if we’ll only take the time to listen.

Broom maker at Foxfire

C.) Don’t segregate. Resist the temptation to pigeon-hole and compartmentalize your handicraft. Find ways to incorporate you skills in everyday life.

• Darlene started making soap as a hobby and turned it into a profitable business.
• You like to write. Start a free blog at Word Press. Self-publish an eBook. Why be at the mercy of an unhappy publishing executive who wants to change your writing to fit a certain demographic their group polling determines is best. Don’t wait for some ‘expert’ to approve.
• Find local artisans and connect. It’s very likely these folks will welcome you into their group. Don’t forget to give value for value.

D.) Find your passion. What makes you pound your fist on the table? Find out and do something about it. Start. Today. You’ll become the “go to” guy or gal.

E.) Exercise your idea muscle. I’ve got notebooks and journals and iPhone apps for recording ideas. Sometimes I just sit and think of ideas. A word on the car radio, or a picture, or a seed stuck to your pants could be inspirational. How do you think Velcro came about. The saying “Use it or lose it” especially applies to our idea muscle. Shock your brain synapses by listing ten new ideas everyday. Ten is the bare minimum. You’ll become addicted and your idea muscle will never atrophy.

F.) Read - Outside of your “field.” Pick up a book or article that has nothing to do with what consumes the majority of your day. Fiction or non-fiction – doesn’t matter. Be open to change what you thought was the right way to do things. Diversify. Plant lots of seeds.

G.) Do what you love and the money will follow…maybe. But who cares, right? This goes back to being selfish. I remember watching Wild Kingdom with my daddy growing up. He’d say how he wished he had been able to do what Marlin Perkins did for a living. He always advised me to do what I loved for a job and it won’t be work. Writing hasn’t made me money, but I love doing it – even though there are no masterpieces to validate my work. I’m keeping my day job, but make time everyday for what I love.

It wasn’t long ago that people lived in tightly knit communities, connected with each other, and lived a local life. In our modern rat-race, folks have come to believe you have to be the best to be recognized and rewarded. If I don’t make it on American Idol I’m a nobody. I’ve been guilty of wanting a little fame and fortune. At this point in my life, I’m not waiting for that one magical moment to make me happy. I’m going in exactly the opposite direction. Simple living – back to my roots – getting my hands dirty.

What’s your hidden talent?

 

Pastured Poultry Butchering

Kids say the darndest things. The topic of where our food comes from was raised in my new Science classroom a few year back. I’m still in shock at Tony’s ‘enlightened’ response on the origin of meat. “From the ground,” he said. I probed. I never pass up these entertainment opportunities.

“So, it’s kinda like planting corn,” I asked.

“Yep. You plant some meat in the ground and it grows,” he said with confidence. That, my friend, is called job security.

Tony, if you’re reading this, you can stop wondering where pastured chickens come from. Matronofhusbandry over at Throwback at Trapper Creek gave me permission to share this with you and the Sherpa crowd. I love their site. It chronicles the similarities and differences of homesteading on a 1881 farm and in present day.  Located in the Pacific Northwest, their goal is to be as self-sufficient as possible. Our kind of folk. Take some time to read their musings and practical articles.

Now for the featured article. HEED the WARNING for the squeamish, vegans, and/or vegetarians.

Not for the squeamish…

June 28, 2008

WARNING – LOTS OF BLOOD AND BODY PARTS WILL BE SHOWN AFTER THE SERENE VIDEO and the first 5 pictures.

Last supper – really it is last lunch.

[Click here to view their short Pastured Poultry video]

Here is what those adorable chicks I showed you 8 weeks ago, turned into.  Grass and grain eating and pooping fertilizing fools.   I’ve just moved them to fresh grass, and am watering them, you can see them grazing and doing the contented chicken leg and wing stretch.  They have had an enjoyable eight weeks.  I always think if I was a dog, I would want to be one of my dogs, and if I was a chicken, I would want to be one of my chickens… .

We withhold the feed the afternoon before processing the chickens.  They receive water and fresh grass, but no grain.  This allows the crop  and the rest of the digestive system to clear out.  This step is important,  a clean crop and a flushed out intestinal tract make life a little more pleasant during this task.

We loaded them into our crates during the dark, they stay calm and settle right down in their crates.  They were going to get to travel and see other chickens in the nearby state of Washington at our friends farm, who let us come over and butcher when they do.  On the slate for the day:  4 adults and an assortment of kids from age 9 – 16 were going to  butcher 500 chickens and be cleaned up by lunchtime. This is in addition to doing chores as usual, on three farms They had 365, their friend from church had 70, and we were bringing 71.  We were home by noon.

As an aside to people who might be bothered by this post – I worked today alongside a nine year girl teaching her how to butcher a chicken.  Her biggest concern?  Her apron was a little too big, and the straps kept slipping off of her arms.  She was a trooper.  She stuck with it and like a good trail horse, she was bombproof, even getting playful and making a dead chicken fart, by bouncing it on the table.  I don’t think she wonders where her food comes from.

This post will be long on pictures, but I will try to explain each so you can see how we spent our day.  I’m still number crunching – I’m scared to see how much they cost me, but the accountant in me has to know to the penny.

Crossing the Columbia River, looking east towards home.

Yep, this is the place.

Jerseys and broiler pens.

Missy, our greeter.

New baby chicks.

*****WARNING***** the party is over!

 

Read the rest here and stop wondering where our food comes from

 

Edible Wild Plants – Sassafras

Source: Sensible Survival

DISCLAIMER:  Don’t believe anything I or any body else tells you about edible wild plants.  Don’t eat edible wild plants based on what you see in a book or on the inter-net.  Get a qualified instructor to show you the plants, and don’t eat them until the instructor shows you how to prepare them, and then eats them him or herself.  Be aware that you may be allergic to a plant that someone else can eat without harm.  Be sure that any plants that you gather have not been sprayed with pesticides or herbicides.

In the “old days” it was common practice for pioneer families to imbibe a spring tonic.  This ritual was part medicinal and part psychological.  It was medicinal in that the tonic in question usually had some medicinal benefit, either real or imagined; and it was psychological in that it was an acknowledgment that the natural world was renewing itself and man, by the act of taking this purifying herb, was to be part of this renewal.  In the South, one of the most common spring tonics was Sassafras tea.

The Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) is a fairly small tree, sometimes up to 40′ tall, which grows throughout the Eastern United States.  The easiest way to identify the Sassafras is by its leaves.  You will find that the Sassafras has three distinctly different shaped leaves on the same tree.  Some of the leaves are oval shaped, some of the leaves are mitten shaped, and some of the leaves are three lobed.  All of the leaves have smooth edges, and are shiny on the upper surface.  Pictured below: The three different shaped leaves found on the sassafras tree

 

If you have any doubts about whether you have correctly identified a Sassafras, all you have to do is dig up a small root and smell of it.  Sassafras root smells exactly like rootbeer.

To make Sassafras tea, dig up several small roots and wash the dirt from them.  Bring a pot of water to a boil and throw the roots into the boiling water.  Let the roots boil for a few minutes until the water begins to turn a deep red.  Remove water from heat and let the tea steep.  Serve hot or cold.  Add honey or sugar if you like.  Native Americans added maple sugar.

Old timers referred to Sassafras tea as a blood thinner.  They said that it helped a person tolerate the coming summer heat better.  Modern science tells us that Sassafras contains a mild narcoleptic, a drug that induces drowsiness.  The Food and Drug Administration also warns us that Sassafras can cause cancer if given in large doses to laboratory rats over extended periods of time (so don’t give your pet rat a washtub full of Sassafras tea every day).

Apparently mosquitoes do not like the smell of Sassafras.  Take some of the tea and rub it on exposed areas of your skin to repel these pesky little critters.

Yet another use of Sassafras is as a thickener in stews.  You may remember the Hank Williams song about “Jambalya, crawfish pie, and filet gumbo.”  Well, filet is the substance used to thicken gumbo, and filet is made from dried and powdered Sassafras leaves.  If you make your own filet be careful to remove the sharp stems and veins after the leaves have been crushed.  These can cause major stomach problems.  Also, be sure and don’t give your pet rat too much gumbo.

I have read that Sassafras can be used to make a fire-bow-drill, but I have had no success with this.  The wood seems to be too hard.  I have intended to try and dig up a large Sassafras root, let it dry for six months and see if that wouldn’t make a usable fire-bow-drill.  The root of the Cottonwood is the only part of that tree that I have ever been able to start a fire-bow fire with, and I was thinking that the same may hold true for the Sassafras, but I haven’t got around to trying it yet.  Maybe you’ll try it first and let me know.

Canned Bacon: One of the Seven Wonders of the World?

The Best Canned Bacon: Plain, Maple, Tabasco

Source: Rural Spin

27 Feb

Tabasco bacon, right out of the can and ready to eat: truly one of the seven wonders of the world.

Let me just start out by saying that I spent hours pouring over other peoples’ videos and recipes to learn how to can bacon. I tried them all out and found them sorely lacking. I then proceeded to can about 20 pounds of bacon on my own to come up with the perfect canned bacon, which in my opinion just didn’t exist…until now.

And canning bacon is worth the effort. It’s a great way to make your own customized flavored bacon with ease, and it’s just handy to have pre-cooked bacon on-hand for recipes and snacks. It’s great while traveling or car-camping, and it’s nice to have canned bacon when the electricity goes out, or the weather makes it impossible to make it to the store.

All the recipes and methods I found for canning bacon involved taking strips of raw bacon, slapping them down on parchment paper, rolling them up tight, jamming the role into a quart-sized jar, and canning for 90 minutes. I tried this method and it missed the mark for several reasons:

• While the bacon was cooked through it didn’t look cooked and it didn’t act cooked. It looked close to being raw, with the color of the meat and fat resembling what it did before it was put into the jar. It also remained limp. So while it was technically edible, it wasn’t appetizing.

• To get it remotely close to being appetizing, after prying the canned bacon from the jar you had to fry it in a pan to crisp it up. But I found that taking the bacon straight from the jar to the frying pan caused a lot of popping and general grease rebellion. The moisture build up in the jar caused by the canning process just didn’t mix well with frying bacon, and the bacon didn’t fry up the same as raw bacon, either.

• The jar was full of bacon grease but it also had moisture mixed in with the grease, which just made the grease more of an annoyance than a useful ingredient with which to cook other dishes. You really had to scrape the grease off the bacon, or wait to fry all the bacon up at once to gain access to the grease. It just didn’t work well. Trust me on this.

• After the canned bacon was removed from the jar, I found that it fell apart readily in the frying pan while trying to crisp it. So I was left with parts of bacon strips instead of strips.

• In short, it was a pain in the ass.

I wanted my canned bacon to meet certain criteria so I could eat it with the most enjoyment and least amount of hassle, and use it in recipes to the best possible advantage:

• I wanted it to look and taste awesome straight from the jar.

• I wanted it to retain the crisp and caramelized goodness that comes from fresh-fried bacon.

• I wanted to be able to use it immediately in recipes and as snacks without having to cook it again.

The secret to meeting these criteria is to fry the bacon before canning. This solves all of the above issues, plus it allows room to include enhancements with the canned bacon, including making bacon bits ready for recipes and making flavored bacon. Here’s what I did for each:

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(Note: Make sure you follow the pressure canning guidelines found at the National Center for Home Food Preservation called  ”Selecting, Preparing and Canning Meat: Strips, Cubes or Chunks of Meat” found here. You cannot safely can meat without a pressure canner.)

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CANNED BACON STRIPS

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Here are step-by-step instructions for the process:

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One pound of thick-cut bacon fits perfectly into a pint-sized, wide-mouthed jar (this will likely hold true for regular bacon, too). Weigh the bacon raw. Before cooking you will need to cut the bacon strips in half so they fit in the jar, but I find this to be a benefit after opening the bacon instead of dealing with full strips. The half-strips are easier to manage for recipes and they are easy to throw in a frying pan for a quick heat-up. Also, opening a pound of bacon at one time is sufficient; if you used a quart-sized jar you’d likely have to deal with two pounds of cooked bacon at once, which seems like a lot to handle at one time.

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Weigh about 1 pound of bacon for a pint-sized, wide-mouthed jar.

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Fry the bacon in a skillet on medium heat until almost cooked through. It will continue to cook after you remove it from the pan and you don’t want it to be over-done. Remember that you’ll be pressure canning this bacon for well over an hour and while that cooking won’t contribute to the browning of the bacon, it will cook it a bit more.

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Fry the bacon until almost cooked through.

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After your bacon is cooked, lay it on a plate with some paper towels to soak up the extra grease. While it is draining, cut a 24″ piece of brown parchment paper and lay it on your counter. Lay your bacon strips out on the paper as shown below. Notice that there are several inches of paper left at the end — this will ensure that your bacon is nicely tucked in while you roll your bacon package. If you use thin-cut bacon you will have more slices of bacon to put on the parchment paper. It’s ok to overlap them on the paper. You just want to make sure that you still leave about 3″ of paper at the end.

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Lay your bacon on 24″ of brown parchment paper.

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Now it’s time to add any desired flavoring to the bacon. Two of my favorites are Tabasco sauce and 100% pure maple syrup. For the Tabasco sauce, just take a bottle of Tabasco and sprinkle it liberally over the bacon. Have a really heavy hand with this — if you want Tabasco bacon why go half way? For the maple syrup, it’s important to only use 100% pure maple syrup; synthetic syrups just don’t stand up under the rigors of pressure canning. I use Grade B syrup and it works great and is easier on the budget. Make sure you brush plenty on to the bacon here, too.

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You can consider other flavorings for your bacon besides just maple syrup and Tabasco sauce, including brown sugar, chili powder, cayenne pepper, dried thyme, dried basil, cinnamon, or a mixture. For dried herbs and spices, just sprinkle them liberally over your bacon before rolling.

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Now you can add flavors to your bacon. Here I’m giving the bacon a 100% pure maple syrup wash.

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Now it’s time to start packaging your bacon for the jar! You’ll notice that the width of the parchment paper allows you to fold it in thirds around the bacon. Just take both sides of the paper and fold them around your bacon. Use your hands to press the paper lightly around the bacon to ensure that the sides are creased in preparation for rolling the bacon.

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Fold the parchment paper in thirds over your bacon.

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When you roll up your bacon, start at the end that has the bacon closest to the edge of your parchment paper. When you start rolling, make sure your first few turns are nice and tight. The bacon almost rolls itself, but you do need to guide the parchment paper, ensuring that the folds remain in tact. You want your roll to be firm, but don’t smash the bacon. There’s no need for that and why do you want to punish perfectly good bacon in that way? You’ll notice that when you get to the end of your roll that the extra paper left when you laid your bacon strips on the parchment paper secures your bundle.

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Roll your bacon up nice and tight, without smashing your strips to smithereens. You should love your food, not torture it.

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Your roll of bacon will look adorable, and it will fit neatly into a wide-mouthed, pint-sized canning jar, which you have already sterilized and prepared for canning (follow standard protocol for pressure canning meats, which can be found at the National Center for Home Food Preservation). You might need to nudge the roll in the jar a bit, but you should not have to jam it into the jar; if you do your parchment paper will tear and your bacon will be crying out in agony. This is the reason it’s so important to use a wide-mouthed jar; a narrow-mouthed jar will obviously cause problems when you try to insert your roll. If you find it is too hard to push the bacon into the jar, unroll it and remove a few pieces of your bacon, re-roll your bundle and try again until it fits snugly but is still easy to insert into the jar.

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A completed roll of bacon, ready for the jar.

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Place a lid on your jar and it’s ready for pressure canning (see below.)

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The roll fits neatly into a pint-sized, wide-mouthed jar.

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CANNED BACON BITS

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To make a jar of bacon bits, take your raw bacon and cut it (kitchen scissors are easiest) into large pieces about 1″ square. Cook through and place into your jars; it’s not necessary to use parchment paper when canning bacon bits. Before placing them into the jar you can add flavorings like pure maple syrup, Tabasco sauce, brown sugar, pepper, or herbs like thyme or basil. Screw the lid on and pressure can (see below).

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PRESSURE CANNING

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Now it’s time to pressure can your bacon. You’ll need to process your meat following the times and pressure guidelines presented in “Selecting, Preparing, and Canning Meat” found here.

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Make sure you label your cans of bacon with a sharpie before putting them in the pressure canner.

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Follow standard protocol for pressure canning meat.

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Maple syrup bacon, pressure canned and pulled from the jar the next day.

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USING YOUR BACON

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Now is the fun part. After you open the jars of pressure-canned bacon there are different things you can do:

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• Eat it right out of the jar. It will actually be difficult to prevent yourself from doing this. Bacon will disappear before your eyes, I guarantee it. Be ready to take on a strict running regimen to keep up.

• Use the bacon bits in all manner of dishes, straight from the jar. From salads to casseroles to soups, and even as an ingredient in breads and corn muffins, the bacon bits can’t be beat when it comes to cooking versatility.

• The bacon strips can be used in a similar way, but are great for sandwiches and to enhance other dishes, such as laying strips between pieces of fish, or as a tasty ingredient in tacos. The possibilities are endless!

• Reheat it for breakfast. This is a no-brainer…it’s bacon.

• Take your canned bacon camping with you. The jar might weigh too much for backpacking, but for car camping it’s a dream!

• Stockpile canned bacon in case of emergencies such as electrical outages or heavy storms when you can’t make it to the store.

• Accept the inevitable accolades from friends and family.

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Yoders Canned Bacon from Camping Survival if you can’t can your own.

Self-Reliance Lessons: Making a “Honey-Do” Bench from a Cedar Tree with Pioneer Tools (mostly)

Beautiful wife asks sweetly, “Honey, we need a bench for the front porch *purr*. Could you make one for me?” And the fun begins!

Here she sits outside my shop

I’ve made plenty of honey-do projects for the wife. This one is different. Here’s how. I decided to make this one using pioneer hand tools. It turned out fine. Lessons were learned. Wife is happy.

NOTE: During this post, you’ll see me insert [Prepper Lesson] to highlight our dependency on modern power tools, both electrical and internal combustion.

History: This cedar stock came from my family homestead. It was felled by a tornado a few years ago. A buddy of mine limbed it and stacked it for future use. On my last visit to my folks, we cut a six-foot section (about 12 inches diameter) and hauled it back to my place.

[Prepper Lesson: A chain saw was used to expedite the matter in 100 degree heat. Post SHTF, crosscut saws will require physical stamina and skill in this kind of heat. In a grid-down situation, having quality hand tools and the skills to properly use them are paramount. For me, I learned that I need more practice using older hand tools like my grandfather used in his day. I took a few short cuts and used a few power tools during the project.]

Here’s the progression on the project.

Step 1: Once home, I used my chainsaw to rip the stock in half. I laid the log on top of a couple of scape pieces of 2×4 to prevent my saw from digging into the ground.

Step 2: I laid out my cut lines on the ends and sides. I used a square and level for the ends. Transfer the end lines down the sides with a long straight edge. You’ll need a lovely assistant or clamps to hold the straight edge. I used my lovely assistant.

Applying level end lines

Lovely assistant!

Step 3: Saw the stock as close to the lines as possible. Cutting this dried cedar really heated up my bar and chain. I liberally oiled during the process. The cleaner the cut, the less work you do planing the rough cut stock. Scotch the log with wedges. I also found it helpful to drive a rod in the ground to lean the log at the angle I needed.

Notice the pry bar used to hold the stock at the correct angle for ripping

[Prepper Lesson: A saw pit was used in old times to rip logs to create usable lumber. The stock was laid on an elevated rack with one man on top, and the pit man below the stock. I would imagine the man below had the worst part of the job. Without modern sawmills, a whole new skill set will need to be deployed.]

Photo via abesbb.blogspot.com/ 2010/ 07/ tom-sawyer-and-charles-dickens.html

Step 4: Plane the rough surface to be used for the seat. The tricky part was finding the correct depth setting for the plane and not gauging knots while planing. I found that the depth of the blade was determined by the roughness of the chainsaw marks. This took about an hour as I missed my line on when I was ripping with the chainsaw. A portable sawmill would have been a great help

I know of some Amish who have used steam power to run their saw mill. This would be a huge bartering skill/item in an off grid world.

Hand plane time

[Prepper Lesson: I cheated and used a Dewalt sander to finish the surface after planing. I could have used a sanding block, but electricity was still on.]

Step 5: Use a draw knife to remove the bark on the underside of the stock. I had planned to keep the bark on, but it had already begun turning loose. I helped it along with the draw knife. If you don’t have draw knives, you can order them from Lehman’s and other companies. I found the one pictured below in an antique shop. Closely inspect used knives for any signs of cracks or damage. Blades can be sharpened and handles replaced.

Draw knife to remove the bark

Step 6: With the other half of the stock, I split it to make four legs for the bench. Use an axe and splitting wedge for accuracy.

Splitting rails for the legs

Step 7: Shave the legs. Once I split the rails for the legs, I realized I would need a shaving horse to complete the legs. So I built one from scrap lumber I had lying around. That was a two-hour rabbit hole. If I had to buy the material, I would have spent maybe $25. It’s a simple plan and worked incredibly well. I used a plan I found online. I can’t find the link. I’ll keep looking and post it when I find it.

Simple shaving horse

Shaved rail will make two legs

[Prepper Lesson: Using pioneer tools means retooling my entire shop. I'm not throwing out my power tools. I do see the need to acquire more tools and especially skills. Electricity is wonderfully addictive.]

Step 8: The auger I used bore 1 1/8 inch holes. Bore four of these at slight angles about 6 inches from the end of the bench bottom. I used square and a level to keep the angles about the same for all the leg holes. You could eyeball it I guess.

Auger four holes

Step 9: Create a tenon on the end of each leg to fit the holes. The draw knife was used to take the stock down most of the way. I used a spokeshave to dress the tenon’s final shape. Make sure not to take too much off the tenon. You can’t add wood to the tenon. Also, I tapered the tenons to make the tip fit the hole and drove the rest in with a mallet. No glue needed.

Spokeshave

Four legs inserted

Step 10: Level the legs. I only had to cut 1/2 inch off one leg to make her sit evenly. Use a 4 foot level or just eyeball it.

Here she sits outside my shop

Last step is to put a couple of coats of sealant on to preserve the beauty. I also carved a love note on the bottom to my wife. What a sap!

If your interested in pioneer tools or have helpful links for their use, please leave your tips and comments. I need lots of help with these lost skills.

Foxfire: Spotlighting My Glaring Shortcomings In Self-reliance

Remember the “how long does it take to reach the center of a Tootsie pop” commercial? A new spin on that old one is, “How long does it take to become self-reliant?” I’d say a life time after our visit to Foxfire last week.

For any unfamiliar with Foxfire, their website explains,

“‘foxfire’ is the name that an English class picked, in 1966, for a student-produced magazine they chose to create, containing stories and interviews gathered from elders in their rural Southern Appalachian community.

Most importantly, ‘Foxfire’ is the living connection between the high school students in the magazine program and their heritage, built through interaction with their elders. Students, by their own choices, have worked for over 45 years to document and preserve the stories, crafts, trades, and the personalities of their families, neighbors, and friends. By doing so, they have preserved this unique American culture for generations to come.”

I considered myself okay at self-reliance. I mean, it’s pretty easy with all our modern conveniences of today. My push-button lifestyle has seduced me into thinking I’m more prepared than I am. If my homemade soap sucks, I’ll just crank the combustion engine in my car and drive down to the super market and pick up some commercially manufactured soap. What if my solar oven experiment fails? No worries. I’ll just throw the chili on the stove top and turn a knob. Dinner is served.

My point? Don’t be lulled into the belief that you have more skills than you really possess. Don’t get discouraged either. Keep learning, practicing, and adding sustainable skills. One step at a time. One relationship and network at a time.

Becoming an un-consumer

Experiment now while it’s easy. Be a scientist. Ask lots of questions. Try new things. Follow your passion. Self-reliance and preparedness is a lifestyle worth pursuing. My goal is to be a un-consumer. Yep, that’s a new word.

My roots are in the Southern Appalachian culture on my dad’s side and Texan from my mom’s side. I came from good stock. An awakening is happening in my mind, spirit, soul, and body. The more I learn, the more I need to learn. Enough already. Here’s some food for thought and pictures from our visit.

The Tour

The self-guided tour of 19 stops on a 1/4 mile trail features structures, tools, and artifacts of Foxfire Museum. It’s a time machine taking you back to early American life in Appalachia.

The Savannah House – built in the 1820s

1) The Savannah House was built by Irish immigrants and is the oldest authentic structure at Foxfire. This cabin was home to a four generations of descendants. Three of these each had 10 children in a home measuring 21 x 21 feet. Older children slept in the loft. They must have been stacked like cord wood at bedtime.

The centerpiece of the home

Most of the cooking was done on the hearth.

Hog scalder

This hog scalder would have been used to boil water in preparation for scalding the pig before butchering. The boiling water made light work of the scrapping process to remove hair from the hog. A huge convenience for early pioneers. When I grew up, we used a metal 55 gallon drum cut in half over a fire pit. The scalder above had an opening in the front to insert fire wood under the large metal pot of water. The chimney in the rear draws the smoke out of the area.

It could also multitask as a soap-maker, heating laundry water, or a cook pot for large gatherings…which was likely with family size back then.

2) The second stop is only open with guided tours. The Museum Cabin (post 1850s era) has a true upstairs and rooms divided by interior walls. Looking through the windows we could see woodworking tools like planes, saws, and shaving horses. I’m disappointed that we couldn’t get in to see the moonshine still in the other room of the house.

3) The Wagon Shed. This is used to house two wagons. Originally built as a cabin for staff, it measures 16 x 18 feet. The Zuraw Wagon, pictured below is the only documented wagon to have traveled to Oklahoma in the Trail of Tears. It was built completely by hand in the late 1700s. Green B. Daves used this wagon to relocate to Georgia in the 1830s. It’s still operable today. They don’t make them like they use to. Mrs. Retta Pickelsimer Zuraw, a descendant of Daves, donated the wagon to Foxfire in 1975.

The Zuraw Wagon

4) The Blacksmith Shop. This is a place communities depended on for tools to do their work. I’ve been toying with smithing for a while now. This skill would be very barter-able in a post SHTF scenario. Tools, horse shoes, nails, hardware, home furnishings, bladed tools, and even guns are just a few of the necessary items produced in a smithy.

Stone forge and other blacksmith tools

5) The Ingram Mule Barn. This was used to house animals and hay. Below is a picture of one of the feed troughs.

Hand hewed feed trough in the mule barn

6) The Chapel. This chapel was constructed on site using salvaged lumber from a barn. The church was the center of Appalachian community. It was usually the first building constructed. It had multiple uses as well – church, schoolhouse, and community meeting hall. There was a replica of an old wooden coffin in the corner. My wife snapped a photo of me laying in it (Pic not included).

Inside the chapel

7) Root Cellar. This one is of traditional design but mostly above ground. Most were built completely below ground to take advantage of the cooler and consistent temperatures of the earth.

Root cellar

8) The Bell Gristmill. This mill was constructed by C. B. Bell in the late 1920s and relocated to Foxfire in 1972. The “overshot” water wheel was used in mountain terrain to take advantage of gravity and water flow to achieve twice the efficiency of “undershot” wheels that depended on the speed of water currents.

Millers were highly respected at their craft. “Keep your nose to the grindstone.” This expression came from milling grains. To tell if the grain was getting too hot during the milling process, a miller would keep his nose close to the grindstone to check for excessive heat that could ruin a batch of ground grains.

The water wheel on the gristmill

9) Broom making in the Gott Cabin. This 12 x 12 foot cabin was built in 1985 by cabin builder Peter Gott with help of Foxfire high school students using traditional tools and methods of the Appalachian region. Half-dovetail notches were used to join logs to help prevent water seepage in seams and prolong the life of the structure. The cabin chinking (material in the gaps of the logs) was made of red Georgia clay and modern cement. Horse hair or straw would have been used in period construction.

Broom maker

Guess the tool

That’s right. The above pictured tool is a broom maker’s hammer. I’d never seen one before. It’s used like a hammer to cut material in broom making.

10) The Bungalow. The last stop on our tour housed many items that were used in the early days of Appalachia. Below is a round, screened cabinet used to hang cured meats. I thought it was a great idea. It kept bugs and other critters out of the food storage.

Smoked meat case

As I said earlier, there were 19 sites to visit. I only included 10. The rest you’ll have to see for yourself. It’s well worth the visit and $6 fee to step back in time and take in a bit of history. For more info on The Foxfire Museum and Heritage Center, you can contact the helpful folks at Foxfire:

Phone: (706) 746-5828

www.foxfire.org

foxfire@foxfire.org

Location: Mountain City, GA

Add Sour Cherry Spirits to Your Food Preservation Arsenal

Source: Rural Spin http://bit.ly/PdWiMZ

Add Sour Cherry Spirits to Your Food Preservation Arsenal

Sour cherries, sugar, and your alcohol of choice are all that’s needed to preserve this seasonal fruit. The final product can be used in cocktails, recipes or as gifts for the holidays.

When I bought my house a year ago, I scored a sour cherry tree in the front yard. It has never been pruned, is really too tall to harvest effectively, and leans over the roof of the house a fair amount. The birds love it, and the squirrels love it more. The aphids love it so much that I purchase lady bugs once a year to take care of the problem (it works great). Last year the birds and squirrels beat me to the ripe fruit. Not this year. Oh, no.

I harvested a pound of fruit off the tree this afternoon, which isn’t bad considering I’m not even 5′ tall and am terrified of heights. The ladder helped, but with the awkward hang over the roof and sheer height of the never-before-pruned tree, a pound was what I could manage. But what does one do with a pound of fruit? There really wasn’t enough for a batch of jam or sour cherry pie filling. But, it was the perfect quantity with which to make some tasty infused spirits.

INGREDIENTS

For 2 quarts of spirits

1 pound of sour cherries, cleaned and pitted
4 tablespoons of sugar (or more to taste)
1 bottle (750 ml) spirits. I used bourbon but vodka or brandy would also work great!
A container with a lid large enough to hold it all

Pitting the cherries isn’t necessary, but it makes it much easier to make use of the fruit after it’s done its job infusing the liquor.

Pitting the cherries is optional, but at the very least they must all be pricked to allow the juice to infuse into the liquor. I like to pit the cherries myself–in a few months I can reuse the fruit to make ice cream or to include with other fruit in desserts, a BBQ sauce, or some other topping over a cooked meat or fish. Doing the work of pitting now saves me serious hassle later.

I used two quart-sized mason jars as my infusing containers, but you can use whatever you’d like. In each of the jars I placed half of the fruit and 2 tablespoons of sugar total, sprinkling it over layers of fruit in teaspoon increments. I then took a bottle of bourbon and poured half of the bottle in each of the jars. Giving each of the jars a good shake, I then placed them in a dark cabinet.

Over the next two months I’ll shake those jars frequently. For the first week I’ll shake them once a day to make sure the sugar is dissolved. After that, I’ll shake the jars once a week, or as often as I remember. In a month or two, the resulting goodness will be a thing to behold!

Layer sugar to taste in with your fruit. I used two tablespoons of sugar in each quart-sized jar.

The uses for the infused bourbon are many:

A tasty addition to cocktails
Drinking it straight in a cordial glass
A liquid addition to batters for cakes, cupcakes, scones, cookies, and more as a flavoring.
An ingredient in sauces for meats such as BBQ sauce, steak sauce, and more
Addition to stews and other thick soups as a flavoring
An ingredient in casseroles or hearty meat dishes
A wonderful holiday or hostess gift when poured into a decorative bottle
An item with which to barter with friends and neighbors
The fruit will have done most of its job infusing the liquor, but it can also be used as an ingredient in ice cream, alcoholic smoothies, various batters, or an ingredient in sweet sauces. But if I know myself (and I do), I’ll mostly be using both the infused alcohol and the fruit as an ingredient in one of my favorite libations, The Manhattan.