tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38100565128003419992024-03-17T19:02:43.427-08:00Alaska Bush Life, Off-Road, Off-GridThe life of erstwhile city slickers, now telecommuters in a remote log cabin raising chickens, ducks, rabbits, and bees, making beer and wine, and raising vegetables and berries.Laura Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01340597823610567000noreply@blogger.comBlogger245125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810056512800341999.post-50048321289793497782024-03-17T10:58:00.000-08:002024-03-17T10:58:58.426-08:00The Beauty of Winter Trees<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Natural settings can speak to people, make them feel at
home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of my sisters has been
attracted to oceans, another to the desert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For me, it is forest settings that have always beckoned. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every morning, I feel
a sense of peace and gratitude as I look out my window at the mature Boreal Forest in which I live.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I regard the
trees as my friends, mentors, caregivers, and benefactors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alive, they protect me from sun, wind, and
cold; they yield nutrients and medicine,
as well as beauty. Dead, they continue their beneficence, transformed into my
cabin, decks, docks, furniture and fire wood. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDCxo7S90bK-gW0lMcEBIM6DhGC4FQ5ShmSMGx3sKEdC9O-NcmzwQWb5HAua77F4sS1QsTLRKWdIfl4hbNc7Sse16KNN1QYmqL882P8BWyiwkSGkTVS5zN9FKX5jabVqrbl0VXDsTdMv1DJE60juyjPPzGd1znEwwYpbMUDqz9BouyOAT9GOlEjxxHMZE/s3264/Cabin%20in%20snow%20at%20noon%20in%20December.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDCxo7S90bK-gW0lMcEBIM6DhGC4FQ5ShmSMGx3sKEdC9O-NcmzwQWb5HAua77F4sS1QsTLRKWdIfl4hbNc7Sse16KNN1QYmqL882P8BWyiwkSGkTVS5zN9FKX5jabVqrbl0VXDsTdMv1DJE60juyjPPzGd1znEwwYpbMUDqz9BouyOAT9GOlEjxxHMZE/s320/Cabin%20in%20snow%20at%20noon%20in%20December.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trees at noon in December<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This time of year, I watch the long blue shadows of birch
and spruce trees slither across the snow and I am dazzled by the brightness of
hoarfrost that coats every surface of the trees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An occasional owl hoots or raven caws, but
otherwise, our winter woods are silent and magnificent.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Almost every afternoon in February and March, my husband and
I drive a snowmachine (snowmobile) and sled into the woods along trails we groomed
several days before and left to harden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our goal is to cull 11 cords of standing dead spruce trees each year for
firewood to heat our home and the outdoor soaking tub. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sadly, our part of Alaska was infested by spruce beetles about
eight years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These tiny insects killed
most of the mature white and black spruce throughout millions of acres.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was very sad to cut down the three stately
85 foot trees near our cabin, but it is even worse to view the skeletal remains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dead trees are hazardous, too, both for fire
and falling, so every year since the infestation, we pick an area, first on our
property, and subsequently, on the state land that surrounds us, to cull dozens
of dead trees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are put to good use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLmTEGXSHGoq5L5wo7FZ7J6vSj223OFYwjc2VrZFIRtnDDrvglFys_gkuARRJEH-BJ5juOvNLgVPUnGhw5zmnRrWBGkJ5M4TeFqWKqeIstTpLJLRSPgDJTdgyGNOuKN8W2lfL3vWK5E9Twj1gUiIYsEt1oca9JQSzHbzCrxVMrvHmxfHogw9_A_ufoUXHr/s3264/Winter%20Wonderland%20with%20hoar%20frost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLmTEGXSHGoq5L5wo7FZ7J6vSj223OFYwjc2VrZFIRtnDDrvglFys_gkuARRJEH-BJ5juOvNLgVPUnGhw5zmnRrWBGkJ5M4TeFqWKqeIstTpLJLRSPgDJTdgyGNOuKN8W2lfL3vWK5E9Twj1gUiIYsEt1oca9JQSzHbzCrxVMrvHmxfHogw9_A_ufoUXHr/s320/Winter%20Wonderland%20with%20hoar%20frost.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hoar frost on the trees<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Aside from the practical aspect of gathering firewood, this
seasonal project generates joy, as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Although the beetles devastated mature trees, they did not kill the saplings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trees below about 10 feet tall survived the
onslaught.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every time we fell a thicket
of dead ones, we find spindly young conifers below them. Next summer, they will enjoy more sun and space to grow straight and
tall and healthy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In subsequent years, other
plants colonize the clearings, too, predominantly prickly rose, elderberry, and
highbush cranberry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hares, martens, and
weasels burrow under the dead branches that clutter the forest floor.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In March, as the snow begins to soften and rot, springy
alders and highbush cranberries pop up from their heavy blanket of snow, waving
for a moment before they assume a vertical position for summer. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When the snow starts to recede in April, brown doughnuts of
soaked earth encircle the warming trees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My husband and I tap several birch trees for ten days before the leaves
emerge, drinking the bracingly cold sap straight, as well as using it in any
recipe that requires water, such as coffee, rice, and homemade wine and beer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The clear liquid is a nutritious spring
tonic, chock full of vitamin C and minerals, such as iron, zinc, calcium, and
potassium.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It tastes slightly sweet and vaguely
woody.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eau de paper bag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When the soil dries up, I wander through our property,
carrying flagging tape and pruners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
clip the broken branches of saplings and cut out trunks girdled beneath the
snow line by hungry hares and voles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With
delight I flag tiny seedlings so that I will not trample or weed whack them
when the fast growing wild grasses obscure them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In subsequent years I marvel as these tiny
growths add branches and height, in many cases growing out of the stumps of
dead trees.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My woods are a vibrant community of the elderly and the
young, the sick and the healthy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wander
in wonder and awe. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
Laura Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01340597823610567000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810056512800341999.post-90294425323290184852024-02-03T15:31:00.002-09:002024-02-03T15:45:06.255-09:00My Recent Survivalblog Posts<p> Please follow these links for articles recently posted on Survivalblog.com:</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://survivalblog.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="140" data-original-width="960" height="47" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLdlMrrsJuqm5mVAXhmMFhIOyOZG_hk44hya7Yr7kI1dbE6Cbbn8gwwY1QaWAI9ZO-7xZ4Tlm5TY5glSepiREwATKvh5RYtuPx013nWYTZCaKV2zrLISPbmal7T6aKhJPjX4xxZPm02Vxha7XvmcdMV4Ckm8hRN_6Jbea4ejnNjHo5fnhNAOnkUq6zlL5J/s320/SB-Blog-Header-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><h2 class="entry-title" itemprop="headline"><a href="https://survivalblog.com/2023/12/27/homesteading-cautionary-tales-part-1-mrs-alaska/" itemprop="mainEntityOfPage" rel="bookmark">Homesteading Cautionary Tales – Part 1, by Mrs. Alaska</a></h2><p> </p><p></p><h2 class="entry-title" itemprop="headline"><a href="https://survivalblog.com/2023/12/28/homesteading-cautionary-tales-part-2-mrs-alaska/" itemprop="mainEntityOfPage" rel="bookmark">Homesteading Cautionary Tales – Part 2, by Mrs. Alaska</a></h2><h2 class="entry-title" itemprop="headline"> </h2><h2 class="entry-title" itemprop="headline"><a href="https://survivalblog.com/2024/01/17/practical-uses-amateur-radio-part-1-mr-mrs-alaska/" itemprop="mainEntityOfPage" rel="bookmark">Our Practical Uses of Amateur Radio – Part 1, by Mr. & Mrs. Alaska</a></h2><h2 class="entry-title" itemprop="headline"> </h2><h2 class="entry-title" itemprop="headline"><a href="https://survivalblog.com/2024/01/18/practical-uses-amateur-radio-part-2-mr-mrs-alaska/" itemprop="mainEntityOfPage" rel="bookmark">Our Practical Uses of Amateur Radio – Part 2, by Mr. & Mrs. Alaska</a></h2><h1 class="entry-title singular-title" itemprop="headline"><a href="Our Practical Uses of Amateur Radio – Part 2, by Mr. & Mrs. Alaska" target="_blank"></a></h1><h1 class="entry-title singular-title" itemprop="headline"> </h1>Laura Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01340597823610567000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810056512800341999.post-52727562383860925772024-01-20T12:19:00.179-09:002024-01-20T12:19:00.132-09:00How to Make Berry Wine (from fresh, frozen, or canned fruit)<p>For a dozen or so years, I have made palatable wine (usually
pinot noir and pinot grigio) from commercial kits that vary in price from $69 -
$200 per 6 gallons. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To some, I added fresh
berries that we grow at home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have also made 4 batches of mead with the honey that our
honeybees produced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One batch of
raspberry mead was glorious, but three others failed to ferment, so I ended up
with three gallons of raspberry/honey syrup – more than anyone needs.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwcUeP9ywSg9Hjlh_4DE9p7wy_6iXbQveRnd694w3iPkvndog5s5za7YeHKjVA3t1ZlbLXIOT1mEXDpfwAIHO6mm8qNACPcz_v__6xN331XFySkhNfCWHOeNG05SddRu0vGNjxcMDjjAEBOtx4OgwnYT2Sx_5CJ_muvdbPOs0KccYzNCmm-1anR-P_RBFE/s3264/Wine%20Making%20Supplies.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwcUeP9ywSg9Hjlh_4DE9p7wy_6iXbQveRnd694w3iPkvndog5s5za7YeHKjVA3t1ZlbLXIOT1mEXDpfwAIHO6mm8qNACPcz_v__6xN331XFySkhNfCWHOeNG05SddRu0vGNjxcMDjjAEBOtx4OgwnYT2Sx_5CJ_muvdbPOs0KccYzNCmm-1anR-P_RBFE/w240-h272/Wine%20Making%20Supplies.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Last month, inspired by a friend who makes about 10 types of
wine from apricot and wild plum trees, dandelion flowers, and fireweed flowers,
among other ingredients, I decided to start with raspberries and red currants
that I gathered and canned last summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next up will
be high bush cranberry wine.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A mere month after starting the fermentation, I was
delighted by the early flavor of the currant wine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, I vastly preferred it to the
raspberry wine!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who would have thought
that!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The former already has a vibrant
flavor and silky mouth feel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It tastes
so rich that I add a dollop or two to flavor occasional glasses of the commercial
pinot grigio or pinot noir that I made at the same time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">By contrast, the raspberry wine is currently disappointing,
but of course I expect wines to take several months to age.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the moment, it tastes and smells thin,
with a watery aftertaste.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also made a
second gallon with the “seconds,” which I found as an extra on one recipe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This uses the pulpy seeds left over in the
cheesecloth bag after the first batch has soaked for a week or ten days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think this may be the berry equivalent of
grappa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This batch had a slightly
leathery taste, which my mentor thinks is due to the tannins in the seeds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since I am not a fan of woody wines, I don’t
care for this flavor in the raspberry wine, either, but another palate may like
it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over the next six months, I will
check the wine to ensure that it does not mold or go bad, but otherwise, let it
age in a dark spot behind the couch.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have concluded that my dramatically contrasting reactions
to the currant and raspberry wines may result from the fact that I seeded the
former in a food mill before canning, but not the latter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like the currants, I always seed the
cranberries that I juice, so I look forward to making some of that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In future batches, I will seed raspberries,
too, for wine. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBsy9micQsrDOzwsdMKSMMIH5s98y0M46kAC9LYaAQWgJfhnAqzjjPp5Tox94cKesHxuLfGGxL-H8C0oT1U_pWKEd0RGqlh-uTt8cp7gqBxwpV_j-l5PSpKjEGEVx2VvRBfX8maa7ikebh37YMYgPTA9MJgDCjF2hyphenhyphenZqwne99saYOGvVaxPFjKeEREfKi/s3264/Wine%20Making%20Carboys.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBsy9micQsrDOzwsdMKSMMIH5s98y0M46kAC9LYaAQWgJfhnAqzjjPp5Tox94cKesHxuLfGGxL-H8C0oT1U_pWKEd0RGqlh-uTt8cp7gqBxwpV_j-l5PSpKjEGEVx2VvRBfX8maa7ikebh37YMYgPTA9MJgDCjF2hyphenhyphenZqwne99saYOGvVaxPFjKeEREfKi/s320/Wine%20Making%20Carboys.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Recipe</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You can find many recipes on line for the fruit of your
choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the most famous people in
this industry, with dozens of fruit wine recipes, is Jack Keller, who died in
2020.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can find his recipes on many
websites, such as www.homebrewtalk.com and www.winemakermag.com. I would
heartily encourage any fruit wine maker to start with his recipes and then
adjust for taste after a first or second batch.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jack
Keller’s raspberry wine recipe:</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>3 pounds of red raspberries</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>1 pound 11 ounces of granulated sugar</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Water to 1 gallon</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>4 teaspoons of pectic enzyme⁹0</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>1 teaspoon of yeast nutrient </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Half a teaspoon of yeast energizer</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>1 gram of Fermaid K<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I did not use this)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lalvin’s RC 212, a red wine yeast <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">(I used Lanvin 47)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Heat one gallon of potable water to temperature that will
allow the sugar to dissolve into a thin solution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stir.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If you add berry juice, just pour it in. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you add fruit with seeds or some other chunky fruit, like cherries,
put it in a cheesecloth bag first, for easy removal. (You can use fresh, frozen
or canned fruit). </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let the pot cool down to about 105 degrees F.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stir again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you plan to let the wine ferment in that same pot (which I do), move
it to a place where it can remain undisturbed, preferably in a temperature
range of 65 – 75 degrees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sprinkle the yeast
energizer and nutrient across the top of the liquid, and then the wine yeast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do not stir. Loosely lid it, and add an
airlock or alternative (see below, under equipment).</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If you plan to ferment the liquid in a different pot, crock,
or bucket, pour the liquid in, set in in a place where it can remain,
undisturbed for several weeks, let the liquid settle, and then sprinkle the
yeast energizer and nutrient and wine yeast over the top. If the location’s temperature is below 65, the yeast
will take longer to multiply, delaying and sometimes stalling fermentation. A stalled ferment can be fixed, but if not, you have juice or low alcohol wine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On the second and subsequent days, stir it vigorously with a very long spoon for a
few minutes, sometimes<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>twice a day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be sure to push the cheesecloth bag down
below the surface so the fruit will not mold. (If you do not contain the fruit in a cheesecloth bag, it will float on top, creating a crust that (a) can mold and (b) segregates the yeast from the air that it needs to survive.) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">I find it fascinating to see, </span>when the yeast
population grows, the colony actively swimming in the
liquid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would use the word, swarming,
except for the negative insect imagery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
the yeast growth has slowed to the point where I see no movement during the
first week, I sprinkle a teaspoon of yeast nutrient or yeast energizer on the surface.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This will feed and energize the yeast, so
they can consume more of the fruit sugar and turn it into alcohol.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">About Day 7, use your wine thief (a turkey baster) to squeeze
enough liquid into the hydrometer for the thermometer to float. Read the
measurement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If it is near 1.03, this means that your juice is partially fermented. Squeeze
as much liquid as you can from your cheesecloth bag into the liquid and then remove it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About every other day after this, measure again
until the hydrometer reads 1.00 or 0.99. Numbers above this mean that much
sugar remains unconverted by the yeast into alcohol.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sweeter the taste at this point, the
lower the alcohol.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you choose not to
use a hydrometer, you can simply taste a few spoonfuls of wine every other day
after Day 7 until you like flavor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(You
can also use the hydrometer to calculate the percentage of alcohol, too,
through a formula that you can find on-line). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">My wines (from kits or from my harvested fruit) generally ferment by Day 10 - 12. <br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When the wine reaches a palatable profile for you, siphon
the liquid into a glass growler, leaving behind the yeasty gunk that coats the
bottom of the prior container.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Install
the air lock, so that any remaining CO2 can escape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You don’t want to cap the wine too soon or
residual C02 could cause the growler to explode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> If there is a lot of yeast and residue at the bottom of the growler, (a reason to use a glass container), I siphon it again into a clean container. This results in a clearer wine. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp8tiYnmcHbQgiwmrj_VrDDvynJh9o_wavCMB_OSOznp2iTj2rtcq5gk-IZ_i8G_Clo9NPrZmLqzo3McUOh-7zhjEg5yqN_ieMLvZJcn4ePwdXkAl-a3gJn6LxHNqjQWUQrt9tFLdw3fgAH8u8U_ya_hH-5W-2nHmadWrrSeNGSc_Dl2OxbTguPY9RjhkJ/s3264/Winter%20Frost%20on%20Tree.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp8tiYnmcHbQgiwmrj_VrDDvynJh9o_wavCMB_OSOznp2iTj2rtcq5gk-IZ_i8G_Clo9NPrZmLqzo3McUOh-7zhjEg5yqN_ieMLvZJcn4ePwdXkAl-a3gJn6LxHNqjQWUQrt9tFLdw3fgAH8u8U_ya_hH-5W-2nHmadWrrSeNGSc_Dl2OxbTguPY9RjhkJ/s320/Winter%20Frost%20on%20Tree.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I don’t bother to bottle and cork the wine. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I simply store it in the growlers and drink it
within the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Equipment</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To try a few small batches without much
financial outlay, you can start with the following equipment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Note alternatives for a first batch or two to
further reduce your initial expenditure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Like many types of hobby equipment, you can probably find much of this
used.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">*A cooking pot bigger than one gallon to heat the liquid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">*The same or a second pot or crock or jug with a lid that
fits loosely and preferably has a hole in which to put an air lock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For one gallon batches, I use a pressure cooker (not a pressure
canner) in which I removed the plastic plug, leaving a hole in which I plunge an
air lock.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">*An air lock or two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is a small, inexpensive multi-part plastic gizmo that allows CO2
out but does not let oxygen into the liquid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A second choice is to lay cheese cloth, a thin T shirt or even a paper
napkin over the hole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This will keep out
bugs, ash, and dust, but will let oxygen in, which can influence the taste over time. But this will work. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">*A rubber stopper or two with a hole in the bottom, that holds the plastic air lock in place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Buy the size stopper that fits
your growler or carboy (a 5-6 gallon heavy glass jug).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The former is smaller than the latter. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">*A cheesecloth bag or two (big enough to hold a heavy gallon
of sodden berries and juice).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(These inexpensive
bags are useful for jams, jellies, cheese, teas, pickling, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Buy a dozen.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">*A plastic siphon (to move the wine from its initial
fermenting stage container to its second, aging container). Yes, you can simply pour it, but a siphon enables you to leave behind the yeast in the first container, so that your final product will not taste yeasty.<br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">*A hydrometer (this looks like a 10 inch thermometer that
fits in a tall, thin glass or plastic container and measures alcohol level of
the liquid you pour into the container).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Alternatively, taste your wine every other day after Day 7 or 10.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A sweet flavor and a higher hydrometer
reading means that the fermentation is not finished and therefore, the alcohol
level is low.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A reading below 1 (0.99)
means that fermentation is complete.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> (In my experience, unfermented fruit/sugar/water solution starts around 1.08.) <br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">*A wine thief, which is simply a turkey baster to collect
wine to squeeze into the hydrometer</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">*Wine yeast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most
versatile and reliable that I have used are Lanvin 47 and Lanvin 1118, however, wine connoisseurs suggest particular yeast strains for different fruits and flavor profiles. You can buy wine yeast on-line or at beer supply
stores, along with the optional items below.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One packet is enough for a batch
of 1 – 6 gallons of wine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These will age
out at some point depending on storage temperature and humidity, so do not expect to stockpile several years worth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Optional but useful
purchases:</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Yeast nutrient and yeast energizer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are powders that gig the yeast to
consume the sugars if they have slowed down. Here in our wood heated cabin in
Alaska, I need these aids and/or I move the fermenters (the first container to which you have added the yeast) closer to the wood stove.
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Citric Acid:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If your
wine is too sweet for your liking, due to the fruit, you can add citric acid to
balance the flavor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If it is overly
sweet because the fermentation stalled, that means that the yeast has not consumed the sugar and
converted it to alcohol, so the wine will be low alcohol.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The citric acid will balance the flavor but do
nothing about the alcohol level. For some wine makers, this could be an intentional choice, such as 4 or 5% alcohol wine. <br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pectic enzyme:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pectic
enzyme helps draw out the liquid of fruit, requiring less mashing work from
you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is not as necessary for juicy
fruit like berries, but useful for fruit with more texture, like apricots, cherries, and
plums. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sugar or honey:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
your resulting wine is too dry for your palate, you can “back sweeten” it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Heat the honey or sugar so that it dissolves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pick a test amount of wine, like a quart, and
measure how much sweetener you add to your liking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then extrapolate to the whole batch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obviously if you pour the sweetener in cold,
it will just sink to the bottom and you are likely to add too much. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Clarifiers and stabilizers: The commercial kits come with packets that clarify and stabilize the wine. I have not used any in my initial batches of dark berry wine, but would do so if I made a light colored wine, from grapes, pineapple, or apricots, and if I intended to store the wine for longer than I currently anticipate. <br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Conclusion:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are
many advantages to this hobby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">1) Whether you choose to make wine from a commercial kit or from store bought fruit, the cost per bottle of wine will be MUCH lower than purchasing wine. Basically, 5 bottles = 1 gallon. A commercial kit of concentrated wine grape juice usually makes 6 gallons = 30 bottles. The price for kits range from $65 to $200 depending on the provenance of the grapes. If you pay $10 - 30/bottle, that = $300 - $900 for the same volume of wine. If you grow or forage the fruit, the cost for making the wine is simply the one time purchase of equipment, ongoing yeast packets and some optional items, like yeast energizer. If you wish to make wine from store bought fruit or juice concentrate in the freezer section, you can price that out. </span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">2) The expense for equipment is for hardy elements that can be used over
and over for many years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have had to
replace plastic and delicate pieces occasionally, like a broken hydrometer, but
otherwise, the purchases are “one and done”… for many years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </p><p class="MsoNormal">3) Much of the equipment,
like containers, cheese cloth, and airlocks, and the baster (evocatively called a wine thief) are
multi-functional for other kitchen processes. </p><p class="MsoNormal">4) For the gardener or forager, it is a joy to
harvest fresh fruit and turn it into something delectable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I routinely harvest 6 gallons each of
raspberries, currants, and cranberries per year for a variety of gustatory pleasures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For wine, next year, I will harvest even
more. </p><p class="MsoNormal">5) The preparatory time commitment is low. </p><p class="MsoNormal">The negatives:</p><p class="MsoNormal">1) You need to have space to store the equipment and the aging wine. My son did so in a dormitory closet. </p><p class="MsoNormal">2) While store bought wine is consistent in quality along a particular brand, your fruit wine quality may vary, depending on the quality of the fruit and your temperatures, just like any other agricultural product you grow at home. </p><p class="MsoNormal">I recommend this endeavor for anyone who wants to save money and make use of fruit that you can buy, grow, or forage.<br /></p>
Laura Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01340597823610567000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810056512800341999.post-79459416449131577002024-01-15T08:37:00.001-09:002024-01-16T15:21:44.691-09:00Ways to Save Eggs for Months<p>Egg laying is partially predicated on the season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our hens, of various breeds, are always most
prolific layers in the summer months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
the autumn, when they molt (shed their feathers and grow new ones) they do not
lay at all for 6 to 8 weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the
cold winter months in Alaska, they shiver in the chilly coop, laying maybe half
as often as in the summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is only in
March, when we have 12 hours of daylight, that they venture out into the snow
and start to lay regularly again.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9QlYJdrgr07vkEd5q6AX_GHy0aIYM6jRJMB7St11vPW5O3YZaCBv8llCz-f1t2joM7uJM2DxopDQuXJ8kTIOQXFh8cTd_kAnoHuJPZFsm4cp_uujmFy_khyq5eUHBvVCHVrT0tpm9rKnYmGH2kHIw97emWpmbO9qRYwvuR07g7A4oRgeXLl69To0u0m-E/s1600/DSCN1383.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9QlYJdrgr07vkEd5q6AX_GHy0aIYM6jRJMB7St11vPW5O3YZaCBv8llCz-f1t2joM7uJM2DxopDQuXJ8kTIOQXFh8cTd_kAnoHuJPZFsm4cp_uujmFy_khyq5eUHBvVCHVrT0tpm9rKnYmGH2kHIw97emWpmbO9qRYwvuR07g7A4oRgeXLl69To0u0m-E/s320/DSCN1383.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Therefore, I learned various ways to save eggs to eat during
the molt and all winter.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Note: In the USA, people who buy eggs at a supermarket are
purchasing eggs that are washed, which removes the bloom, which is a clear thin coating that the hen naturally produces as she lays to protect the egg from bacteria and dirt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is why, in this country, eggs are stored in the refrigerator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the many other countries that do not wash
the shells first, shopkeepers store eggs on room temperature shelves, and
millions of shoppers store them at home this way, too, up to about 21 days, depending
on ambient temperature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Since we do not wash our hens’ eggs either, I store them in
a large metal bowl on a kitchen counter for up to three weeks. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I am surfeited with eggs, I store them long
term in the various ways listed below.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The following are my experiences and opinions. Someone else's could be different. </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> <br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">HOW TO TEST EGGS FOR
FRESHNESS</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Put any questionable eggs in a deep, flat bottomed pot and
cover them with water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If any float, air
has gotten inside the shell and you do not want to eat them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If they rise slightly off the bottom and turn
sideways, I cook them sooner than the eggs that
do not rise or tip at all.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">LONG TERM EGG STORAGE</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQFG2o33a7LCzwKaeYwenPMistAOME39fnnX9VnLhwr7UjtvHT42fzh2oqHoW38Bo0BGs7GSYaQKMn1mjdqp7jFRt3QRgb_AslubbVufQjejymkZN02Mm1YFbiY13NSGx-YHYi5OB6eSdJljT3GgKb8j1_PmgSRAef_cv5d6GDLbhDMgcVkjXjppHQi2D/s1600/004%20(6).JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQFG2o33a7LCzwKaeYwenPMistAOME39fnnX9VnLhwr7UjtvHT42fzh2oqHoW38Bo0BGs7GSYaQKMn1mjdqp7jFRt3QRgb_AslubbVufQjejymkZN02Mm1YFbiY13NSGx-YHYi5OB6eSdJljT3GgKb8j1_PmgSRAef_cv5d6GDLbhDMgcVkjXjppHQi2D/s320/004%20(6).JPG" width="320" /></a></b></div><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">GLASSING</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I do not know why the term, “glassing” is used for this
technique, which involves submerging raw eggs (in their shells) in a lime
solution and setting the crock or food grade bucket somewhere, undisturbed, at room
temperature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have successfully cooked
with eggs that I glassed and stored at room temperature for nine months. I have read in Mother Earth
News, that people have stored them for two years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most I have stored for 9 months is 125, in two food
grade 5 gallon buckets with lids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To make the solution, I measured out a proportion of 8:1<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>water to pickling lime, and then heated the
water enough that the lime dissolves, stirring thoroughly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After it cools to room temperature, I pour it
into a food grade bucket and gently place unwashed, fresh eggs into the water,
making sure that no egg shells rise above the solution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over time, the solution will sink to the
bottom, so it is important to gently stir up that bottom layer, to recoat the
shells.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do this once a month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </p><p class="MsoNormal">One year, I neither heated the water nor
stirred once a month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Big mistake!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The eggs on the bottom layer were practically
cemented to each other in the lime, but the eggs above the bottom layer rotted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a noxious job it was to pull those out
and toss away 60 eggs!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus, I hate
wasting food.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When cooking with the eggs that have been glassed for
several months, I rinse them first, and then crack them into a transitional bowl to check. I find that both the yolks and whites are runnier than fresh
eggs, so they are better suited to scrambling, custards, or baking than for fried
eggs. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">IMPORTANT:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
treatment works only for farm fresh, unwashed eggs that still have the
protective “bloom” on the shell. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">FREEZING </b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>FAVORED:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Raw beaten eggs can be poured into muffin tins or ice cube trays,
frozen, and then popped out to be stored in plastic bags or other
containers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is helpful to measure the
amount of one eggy ice cube for future recipes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I found that a muffin tin holds about an egg and a half, and my ice cube
trays held less than one egg.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These
individual units thaw quickly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
scrambled, the texture of these frozen, raw eggs is the same as unfrozen,
raw eggs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I rarely separate eggs and
yolks for recipes, but you can do so and freeze the beaten raw yolks
separately from the raw whites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Either
way, freezing raw eggs in measured portions is a very convenient and
reliable method. </p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>NOT FAVORED:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Hard boiled eggs can be frozen in or out of the shell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shelled eggs will crack when the interior
expands in the cold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Either way, the
texture of the white will be rubbery but the yolk will feel normal..<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I freeze whole eggs as a winter treat for my dog or hens, but I would not serve them to people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>VARIABLE RESULTS:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Raw, eggy recipes, like quiche, pancake batter, etc. can be made
in advance, packaged well, and frozen, to be thawed overnight for cooking the
next morning. I have done so short term with a number of brunch dishes for large
gatherings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>NOTES:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a) Like anything in a freezer, if it is not
wrapped well and if it is frozen long term, it will develop ice crystals, making the
recipe more watery. (b) Many raw vegetables do not freeze well, but cooked
vegetables do. <br /></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">PICKLING</b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">My husband and I are not fans of pickled
eggs, but many people like them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To me
the texture is rubbery and the vinegar/egg combo is unappealing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, my father-in-law told me that “back
in the day” pickled eggs were a staple snack food, often free, on the bar at
pubs.</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"> </p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">SAVING
EGG SHELLS</b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>I utilize all the egg shells, too.</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>If you want to reduce the bitterness of a batch
of coffee, drop a half egg shell in your percolater or coffee maker.</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>To give my dog extra calcium, I grind up dried
egg shells and sprinkle it on his food.</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>I crush hundreds of egg shells each year and
distribute the material in my gardens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The shells have several benefits:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>calcium, of course, and the texture lightens heavy soil, and the sharp edges are
supposed to deter slugs and other soft bodied pests, although the amount of egg shells in my gardens has never deterred slugs in rainy summers. </p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">In conclusion, we love raising hens for fresh
eggs and all the other benefits that hens bring to our homestead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As with any summer bounty, like zucchini, it
is useful to figure out how to save eggs for later in the year and how to
utilize the shells. Waste not, want not! Don’t take July’s production for
granted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Planning ahead for low productivity
later in the year will be well rewarded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
Laura Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01340597823610567000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810056512800341999.post-6508564460372091762024-01-07T17:44:00.000-09:002024-01-07T17:44:10.381-09:00Winter Preps to Raise Food in Alaska + Recipe - Bubbles and Squeak<p><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;">(</span></span></b>My book, <b>Log Cabin Reflections</b>, is available on Amazon. Each chapter includes pictures of our off-grid, off-road life in remote Alaska.)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhABAzjI8DDsbwTipPBlSKUNj_V5j7g7csovm8IxDtlCzp2ldvQ-j1n2EAkmAeHhYYLRFpp-vt_5kctIvteWvDYiERlfY_4UpZh25QWF2ZKleF6khuKqAwCGtIIjhacJUVguPgE1o4fzfw2FtQCPnCjF9SmJY_7xeI6cp-5EJQvqIvcroPFWgRlIMRPVf3S/s3264/Bryan%20with%20Buddy%20hauling%20in%20the%20snow.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhABAzjI8DDsbwTipPBlSKUNj_V5j7g7csovm8IxDtlCzp2ldvQ-j1n2EAkmAeHhYYLRFpp-vt_5kctIvteWvDYiERlfY_4UpZh25QWF2ZKleF6khuKqAwCGtIIjhacJUVguPgE1o4fzfw2FtQCPnCjF9SmJY_7xeI6cp-5EJQvqIvcroPFWgRlIMRPVf3S/s320/Bryan%20with%20Buddy%20hauling%20in%20the%20snow.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buddy preparing to haul<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We live in USDA Zone 3b, which means that not only is our
growing season short, but also winter temperatures can plummet to -35 F.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still, we do have a number of hardy
perennials plants (like berries, rhubarb, and horseradish) but obviously fewer
perennials than warmer climates enjoy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /><br /></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">To maximize food growth in summer, I start almost all annual
(and desired perennial) plants in the winter, some outside, and some in.</span></p>
<h1><span color="windowtext" face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Winter sowing</span><span color="windowtext" face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
practice is so easy and low maintenance that it almost does not sound feasible,
but it does indeed results in healthy plants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It works best for seeds that need cold stratification (a period of
several cold weeks before warming up) and for those that like to sprout in cool
spring weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To winter sow, I save
plastic vinegar and distilled water jugs, slice them around the middle except
for a hinge near the handle, fill with about 4 inches of soil, water it with a
soil nutrient/root stimulater, sow the seeds and then leave the jugs outside,
tied to a banister post so they will not blow away in a heavy wind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the spring, when the air warms up, I water
the soil lightly and the seeds sprout!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></h1>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This method works beautifully for cabbage, onions, garlic,
and spinach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For flowers, it has worked
well for valerian, delphinium, lupines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For
some reason, I did not have success with poppies or yarrow. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">An alternative that can be done in warm weather, is to
store damp seeds in a baggy in the refrigerator for several weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have done this, too, but the sprouts were
so delicate that they did not transplant well for me. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Testing
germination: </span></b><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seeds
age out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If stored in a cool, dry, dark
location, most can be expected to last for 3 years, but beyond that is a gift
not to be presumed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People living in
humid and hot environments may find that their seeds age out faster than mine. </span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzMZt6arxddnp9wwGnv7MyFifV8GfcvbovN4RUInBVSFWyOWzszZ0n2dJFKZXmC7qhmuegrum33t0YjBhWvjzRixYJTCYt51AzAsbLC3Kuil6Ij806VCaRBAPc1p9z6mFKe2bwDcWWpJ12u5lAnOkpaSeFq81F6YFqrKeUQcL4Klp5MOtnNpwx3Rd0DpOu/s3264/Cabin%20in%20snow%20at%20noon%20in%20December.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzMZt6arxddnp9wwGnv7MyFifV8GfcvbovN4RUInBVSFWyOWzszZ0n2dJFKZXmC7qhmuegrum33t0YjBhWvjzRixYJTCYt51AzAsbLC3Kuil6Ij806VCaRBAPc1p9z6mFKe2bwDcWWpJ12u5lAnOkpaSeFq81F6YFqrKeUQcL4Klp5MOtnNpwx3Rd0DpOu/s320/Cabin%20in%20snow%20at%20noon%20in%20December.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cabin on a sunny winter morning<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Last winter, I was determined to get rid of dead seeds,
so as not expect that a packet was viable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I separated and test germinated the oldest packages (2016 - 2019).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To do so, I dampened a paper napkin cut in
half, rolled ten seeds into it and inserted this bolus shaped napkin in a small
baggy which I labelled with seed name and the average range of germination
timing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ten seeds makes it easy to
extrapolate to the percentage of viable seeds in the packet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All six varieties of peppers were dead as
were the cucumbers and onions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beans
rotted in the damp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of the seeds of
two varieties of rhubarb germinated, as did corn, beets, radishes, one of the
tomato packages and one of the tomatillo packages, and to my surprise, watermelon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I gave all the dead seeds to the chickens as
a winter snack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">From now on, I will do this every winter, to ensure that
I have seeds on hand that will produce a good crop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those that are dead I can reorder in time for
a snowmachine delivery for March-April starts indoors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b>Germinating in a cold oven: </b>I set almost all of my little seed pots in a cold gas oven. The pilot light keeps the interior a more consistent, toasty temperature than my wood heated home offers, in the mid '70s, which is a germination temperature enjoyed by most seeds. In side by side comparisons, the seeds that start in the oven sprout several days ahead of their comrades outside the oven. This location is also good for seeds that require darkness to sprout, like cilantro.<br /></span></span></p>
<h1><span color="windowtext" face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Mini-greenhouse</span><span color="windowtext" face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a
corner of my cabin, I have a 4 shelf mini-greenhouse (6ft h x 3ft w x 2ft d) covered
with a plastic sheath with two zippers on the front.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each shelf has two grow lights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This environment stays warmer and more humid
than the southern windows, where I used to start seeds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I always sow slow germinating plants, like oregano,
in February, as well as fast growing greens that we can enjoy as small, fresh
salads or sandwich toppings by early March.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As with the winter sowing, I always add a root stimulator to the soil or
water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One caution is that the plastic
can make the environment humid enough to encourage the growth of gray, fluffy
mold on the surface of the soil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To
mitigate that, I roll the plastic front “door” up over the top of the structure
during daylight hours and close it up at night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></h1>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><u>Challenges:</u></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This
year, I dug up the annual herbs before the gardens froze and brought them
inside, hoping that they would overwinter in the mini-greenhouse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I found that even with the grow
lights on for about 8 hours they did not thrive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They prefer 12+ hours of light.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The result was not worth the effort, so I dried
the remaining leaves, put the pots outside and will seed them again in
February. </span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2. </span></span><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A
mistake that I often make is to start plants too early because I am so
eager.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This results in leggy plants that
are weak when transplanted outside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One
year, my potato plants lay sideways on the ground!</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Every gardener has his or her hacks and a history of hits and misses. These are a few that work for me so that I can utilize the cold and lazy months of winter to get a head start on a fast and furious summer of food production. <br /></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b> RRECIPE: Bubbles and Squeak</b></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal">Bubbles and Squeak – what an evocative name for left
overs!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This side dish or entrée is mentioned
in British texts as far back as the 1700s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is a tasty way to use up a combination of leftover mashed potatoes,
vegetables, and bits of meat. (Note:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>if
you like this recipe, check out Irish Colcannon, which is similar, but adds
milk.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Melt 6 oz butter in a large, flat pan.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sautee ½ cup chopped or diced onion and garlic to taste,
about 3 minutes.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Add 2 cups of mashed potatoes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thoroughly saturate with the melted butter.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Add 1 cup chopped, raw, green vegetables and mix in well
with the potato.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cabbage is traditional,
but any leafy green or diced broccoli will work nicely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mix in any cooked, chopped meat, if desired,
like ham or sausage.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">At this point, decide whether you want the final product to
be loose or individual patties.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If the former, warm through and serve, as a hash.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If the latter, shape the food into patties and chill for an
hour or more, then fry in additional oil, pressing down on the patties to crisp
up the cooking surface, and then flip, press, cook, and then serve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Bubbles and Squeak is tasty either way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only difference is texture and
presentation.</p>
<br />Laura Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01340597823610567000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810056512800341999.post-89742924849899858352023-10-26T17:20:00.003-08:002024-01-07T10:17:32.274-09:00Radical Life Change- From Southern City to Rural Alaska<p></p><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">My book, <b>Log Cabin Reflections</b>, is available on Amazon. Each chapter includes pictures of our off-grid, off-road life in remote Alaska.</div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">About 15 years ago, my husband and I embarked on a radical shift in our lifestyle.</div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZDzr0LxLJ3tCi1Qqc3Mqelo6idN-DW-0DRgbQOLO-_5_x8_K9RM5bMbYPZs4wdqpcy95TRu3rcpqCavbbR4C8PqpoCHqAcLDPXAUH6qwVI4gnJ2HAnJnGK4b5fDaxLjeh3WH7sEUugnVd6RVQkp1zQyaSTmJ_2X1cO9vsHBMYeq9DgFuLC_r_FLumb_eR/s3264/20230928_111444.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZDzr0LxLJ3tCi1Qqc3Mqelo6idN-DW-0DRgbQOLO-_5_x8_K9RM5bMbYPZs4wdqpcy95TRu3rcpqCavbbR4C8PqpoCHqAcLDPXAUH6qwVI4gnJ2HAnJnGK4b5fDaxLjeh3WH7sEUugnVd6RVQkp1zQyaSTmJ_2X1cO9vsHBMYeq9DgFuLC_r_FLumb_eR/s320/20230928_111444.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first of two fine outhouses<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> </div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">We moved from a high-rise urban condo in Houston, TX to a 2 room log cabin in Alaska… with an outhouse.</div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Because there are no roads where we live, we sold our Mercedes and Honda and bought snowmachines (called snowmobiles in the Lower 48) to travel 3.5 hours to the closest community, and a plane, with floats and skis, to fly there in 20 minutes. However, twice a year, when the lake transitions from water to ice, we have no transportation at all.</div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Instead of weekly trips to the supermarket and restaurants, I raise and forage 65 foods. We make most foods and cleaning supplies from scratch, such as dog treats, shampoo, home remedies, beer, wine and bread.</div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Since we live so remotely, we receive none of the municipal utilities or services that I took for granted in a city. To heat our home and tub, we cut 10 cords of firewood each year. For water, we were on a 3 year wait list to have a company dig a well , because they had to get enough customers on our side of 2 rivers to justify transporting their heavy and valuable equipment across frozen water and snowy landscapes by sled. For our modest electricity needs, which top out at 2000 watts, my husband built a 120 foot tower for a 1 kw wind turbine and several solar panels that we supplement with 4 hours of a small generator on snowy or rainy days. </div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">How and why did we do this?</div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiBFmbAahjzcZINAX6Orzu18bxT0BCR6sF4s9Vw1QFGZKAy7jPZO3c_cFoOTt7izYAOnyT_FRw_Mx0Z1E0CeUToW34b1wKGOkG9iC9XJptke5NSeU-dluwswJ3aNdAu1sTgfLgvEYCXs3tMEHFz66UYvznYtZIVehzjtmlKxWfTJRWw6gI44gh6Z5o84Cq/s3264/20230928_110837.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiBFmbAahjzcZINAX6Orzu18bxT0BCR6sF4s9Vw1QFGZKAy7jPZO3c_cFoOTt7izYAOnyT_FRw_Mx0Z1E0CeUToW34b1wKGOkG9iC9XJptke5NSeU-dluwswJ3aNdAu1sTgfLgvEYCXs3tMEHFz66UYvznYtZIVehzjtmlKxWfTJRWw6gI44gh6Z5o84Cq/s320/20230928_110837.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freshly hand-cut spruce boards<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>In the early 2000’s, we made the decision to live very intentionally. We started to scrutinize all aspects of our lives. How did we want to spend our time and money? Which people did we really value? What was the overhead of charities we supported? I asked healthcare providers why I needed this or that test or procedure. It was liberating to purge clothes we did not wear, books we would not read again, sports equipment gathering dust. We donated our TVs. I got rid of many chemicals and small appliances and furniture. </div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Through this process, it was obvious that we could live in a much smaller home, with no debt. we could do without a lot of business networking, socializing, and THINGS. </div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">When we got serious about moving to Alaska, I took courses in permaculture, master gardening, master naturalist, furniture building, herbalism, and ethnobotany. I sought out mentors. <br /></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">There was nothing in my background that prepared me for this rigorously, self-reliant lifestyle. I was a mediocre Girl Scout. I am still afraid of daddy long legs. </div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">So I climbed a STEEP learning curve to gain skills and knowledge. </div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhINu7GDdKRykmhJO6UmI1GcXDgeUu2YEKT7twRWyNOVQbDJYdcVUoXsM-q9bSg02V6gkmcmM10XwIAMe8Ge2mylFAqqfm0zi6UYYkLTabWAR182wumqkrO48wS3nBYQH6xeK65nA3qVmyJgZswaE7HRKZh47BIMHk4Ely0s6gFH12CnrnmG144TB4NxX4M/s3264/20230923_181155.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhINu7GDdKRykmhJO6UmI1GcXDgeUu2YEKT7twRWyNOVQbDJYdcVUoXsM-q9bSg02V6gkmcmM10XwIAMe8Ge2mylFAqqfm0zi6UYYkLTabWAR182wumqkrO48wS3nBYQH6xeK65nA3qVmyJgZswaE7HRKZh47BIMHk4Ely0s6gFH12CnrnmG144TB4NxX4M/s320/20230923_181155.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bad weather overhead, no flying<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Emotionally, I was equally challenged. I felt overwhelmed by doing everything ourselves, such as clearing space, with hand and gas powered tools, in virgin forest for a cabin, a garden, a shed. At first, I was intimidated by the silence, in which self-recriminations bubbled up, without all the noise and entertainment of a city to keep them at bay. </div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">But over time, this intentionality changed me. As I gained competence and confidence, I developed a stronger sense of agency in my own life. There is no one-upsmanship, or keeping up with Joneses or virtue signaling living like this. I cut wood, tote water every day. My routines have shifted. I read the weather to determine when to plant or harvest or travel. Instead of favorite neighbors, have favorite trees and plants that I look forward to seeing as I walk the property. <br /></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Living very simply and self-reliantly has granted me the gifts of personal humility and awe of the strengths and generosity of Nature.</div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> Find my book for $5 on Kindle here, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZN1FZR9/ref=sr_1_1">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZN1FZR9/ref=sr_1_1</a></div>Laura Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01340597823610567000noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810056512800341999.post-55426670742974523932023-10-02T13:02:00.007-08:002023-10-03T08:28:41.781-08:00How to Build an Outhouse<p> Please find my most recent post here, about how to build an outhouse: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOyfgaXnILZL85wW3vsGs0RTyKo3CzOG8rzwkUtR4WSxzQoyz8JbspHgiyBNEw8JYFG63UXocAH_U5rACK_ZEFM5JZkNaBhzNlk1HYdr9W7dk1E4hdmBtiLvbf9OP2LDUcrkDYQvQwoWxxr-iHifVDvgIsK0TRvgJ2QULjwIGX7n7xz9nJ49qkJjr1DjPV/s3264/Outhouse1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOyfgaXnILZL85wW3vsGs0RTyKo3CzOG8rzwkUtR4WSxzQoyz8JbspHgiyBNEw8JYFG63UXocAH_U5rACK_ZEFM5JZkNaBhzNlk1HYdr9W7dk1E4hdmBtiLvbf9OP2LDUcrkDYQvQwoWxxr-iHifVDvgIsK0TRvgJ2QULjwIGX7n7xz9nJ49qkJjr1DjPV/s320/Outhouse1.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a href="https://survivalblog.com/2023/10/01/build-outhouse-mrs-alaska/ ">https://survivalblog.com/2023/10/01/build-outhouse-mrs-alaska/ </a></p><p></p><p> </p><p>The following photos are of our two outhouses. The one with the moon and moose paddle door handle is the new one. The other one was built in about 2009. <br /></p><p> </p><p>I am honored to have it featured on <a href="http://SurvivalBlog.com">SurvivalBlog.com</a>,
which, every day, offers informative articles of interest to people who
want to live intentionally, and self-reliantly. It includes product
reviews, recipes, historical anecdotes, snippets of news from the
Redoubt states, and a huge variety of articles, including interesting
interviews with people who have "bugged out" to rural locations and
describe the strengths and weaknesses of their preparations (See "Owner Retreats" section). If you are
interested in the content of my blog, I recommend www.survivalblog.com to
your attention. </p><p>Find my book for $5 on Kindle here, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZN1FZR9/ref=sr_1_1">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZN1FZR9/ref=sr_1_1</a><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xn5sw6YFi4NKljKRt6restO2QH_yo5MSaV-vQ-H3c_Bu-chMiKe9mfSlQD__4Sc_wCh_XkNP8RYnPzxXLsydwO733-A0X3Yoqpq5uiPE7X-yCRqqGg7srPHE7VzTISkDr2h_V8aBGsBEfj4DjT2QR3N9V1yvmhYSmP2qV9VBJqg1tT7dFlsEEliGI3Hr/s3264/Outhouse2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xn5sw6YFi4NKljKRt6restO2QH_yo5MSaV-vQ-H3c_Bu-chMiKe9mfSlQD__4Sc_wCh_XkNP8RYnPzxXLsydwO733-A0X3Yoqpq5uiPE7X-yCRqqGg7srPHE7VzTISkDr2h_V8aBGsBEfj4DjT2QR3N9V1yvmhYSmP2qV9VBJqg1tT7dFlsEEliGI3Hr/s320/Outhouse2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br />Laura Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01340597823610567000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810056512800341999.post-89932216190099268982023-09-03T09:48:00.007-08:002023-10-27T07:42:20.730-08:00Bountiful Berry Harvest in Alaska + Recipe for BBQ sauce with berries<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p>Sadly, 2023 was “the summer that wasn’t.” The Land of the Midnight Sun was, instead, the Land of the Midnight Rain and Mid-day Rain. One friend quipped that his location only had three rains - but one lasted 28 days! In fact, local
weather reporters said that this has been the coolest summer since 2008.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The temperature was not as much of a problem
as all the rainy and overcast days. For us, I think the longest stretch of consecutive,
sunny days was 4, and those were few and far between. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For someone who tries to raise a lot of our
own food, this was a sad state of affairs. My vegetable gardens were pretty
much useless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seeds, seedlings, and
bulbs rotted in the ground, and those that grew were leggy and thin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cauliflower and broccoli never set
heads.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sunflowers never flowered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the plants protected from rain in the
greenhouse, were underwhelming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Fortunately, though, 6 different herbs did well on a covered
porch, so I dried or infused them in cooking oils and we harvested GALLONS of
berries which love this ecosystem in sun or rain. Yea!<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyywxVcEIb9EQqhg5pf-rlqEexLH2hDtzbzdpezVYbjZJYLj15InXquiEzzWVYGKO2ry1894vz-Nq5KnDUNJiIJZj2cqdATuxOI9sxXPmPx-0SNUW7HXCAiq9SS3noQkZ6kTPpOOUAgt6K2NM2Qd61LqEbyVmraiUo6wa10kS3KP6p2PmkF0PvUC-JfKly/s3264/Berry%20photo%202%20of%202.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyywxVcEIb9EQqhg5pf-rlqEexLH2hDtzbzdpezVYbjZJYLj15InXquiEzzWVYGKO2ry1894vz-Nq5KnDUNJiIJZj2cqdATuxOI9sxXPmPx-0SNUW7HXCAiq9SS3noQkZ6kTPpOOUAgt6K2NM2Qd61LqEbyVmraiUo6wa10kS3KP6p2PmkF0PvUC-JfKly/s320/Berry%20photo%202%20of%202.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our manual food mill<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p>Our boreal forest has acidic soil, from the spruce
trees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So berry bushes are common under story
plants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wild raspberry bushes grow in
such dense stands that I have to cut them back with a weed whacking blade to create a path or to encourage anything else to grow in that area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love wild high bush cranberries, though, and nurture hundreds of those plants, pruning dead branches and suckers,
culling weak ones to give healthy ones room to grow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of the plants now tower above the “normal”
height as slim trees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Little blueberry
bushes hug the lake shore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We kayak to
gather a handful at a time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even our dog
likes to eat those berries right off the bushes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In addition to enjoying the wild berries, I have planted many
others, such as haskaps, red, white, and black currants, raspberries,
saskatoons, gooseberries, and strawberries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I enjoy their flowers, foliage, and of course, the tasty fruit, which range from sweetest (saskatoons and strawberries) to tartest (currants and cranberries). All of them are chock full of vitamins and anti-oxidants. <br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">By various preservation methods, we enjoy them throughout
the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those without big seeds are
the easiest to use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some, I freeze
whole, to pop into pancakes, pies, or muffins or snow ice cream in winter. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Others I store in vinegar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most I pressure can for
shelf stable juice, jam, jelly, chutney, and other concoctions, like barbecue
sauce (See recipe below). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></div>The first harvest of the year is haskaps from five bushes that line the south side of our cabin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ3Qng2hYJRvV8tfEEZ4u1A8o8Wd-1Ffebe4Dw4zIOrKbtKyQUrsqqpsXEuzf-lWV26Jyim6CXdM4EvzCMz_uVcrWoGCuINLf-uNgwLdFWwa4KwaSblychL74wjEiYgMhV0x4q7tLeWhZzpC9YaF33M7V-GPIcFCzHWwUTsZopgrRTG7R6mU8TpZNGfymV/s3264/Berry%20photo%201%20of%202.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ3Qng2hYJRvV8tfEEZ4u1A8o8Wd-1Ffebe4Dw4zIOrKbtKyQUrsqqpsXEuzf-lWV26Jyim6CXdM4EvzCMz_uVcrWoGCuINLf-uNgwLdFWwa4KwaSblychL74wjEiYgMhV0x4q7tLeWhZzpC9YaF33M7V-GPIcFCzHWwUTsZopgrRTG7R6mU8TpZNGfymV/s320/Berry%20photo%201%20of%202.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About a gallon of currant juice<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span>They range in size from 6x5x4 to 3x3x4 ft. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fruits have a knobby, elongated shape,
like one’s little finger, with dark blue-purple skin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They taste like a cross between a blackberry
and a concord grape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After eating our
fill straight from the bush, we harvested about 1 ½ gallons, mostly for a
delicious jam. I love it with corn pancakes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>
<p class="MsoNormal">Domestic raspberries
spread as prolifically as their wild brethren.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My original 15 canes now
fill 4 rows, about 14 feet long, each, plus scattered other plots, plus all the
canes I have given away to friends or yanked out of adjacent gardens that they invaded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We harvested about 6 gallons and finally
stopped because the rain battered the remaining fruit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We use this bountiful harvest in various
ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bryan recently made a batch of
beer with 5 lbs of raspberries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I add
some to a batch of pinot noir (that I make from a kit of concentrated pinot noir juice - Fontana brand, about $69 to make 6 gallons).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I make many jars of spicy barbeque sauce this time of year with one
berry or another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year: raspberry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">None of the currant recipes I find on line seem to bother
about the many seeds, but the variety we planted has lots of them for the size
of the berry, and since they are bigger than raspberry seeds, I do not like
them in a final product.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>High-bush cranberries, too, have a
large, flat seed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So both of these
berries I process into juice, syrup, or jelly, netting 4:1 yield – that is
4 gallon of fruit yields 1 gallon of fruit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The procedure of separating the fruit from the seeds involves
several steps, several counter tops, and makes a mess, so I prefer to harvest many gallons over
several days, freeze them, and then set aside several hours to process the
fruit, and then pressure can it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGb1E3rL-whJaBsUX2TVP9fYxVQc7MO3QeD4bmepEALJMiJ7god5S34QOVy4E-I-sDPv_xrX6WHKi8BFQu4nSGH6k9AvCAhggJszjZNWuYTxMQUWXFR1l4jKLjmgRooMmrToGIJqfeBCGHJAJWkip_k1AzvskxNt3-9Ob9NSsNqbh2uRcYSsZ2yUQZWrlr/s2560/Berry%20photo%203.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGb1E3rL-whJaBsUX2TVP9fYxVQc7MO3QeD4bmepEALJMiJ7god5S34QOVy4E-I-sDPv_xrX6WHKi8BFQu4nSGH6k9AvCAhggJszjZNWuYTxMQUWXFR1l4jKLjmgRooMmrToGIJqfeBCGHJAJWkip_k1AzvskxNt3-9Ob9NSsNqbh2uRcYSsZ2yUQZWrlr/s320/Berry%20photo%203.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red currant bushes<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>When I started out, I poured raw berries into the hopper but the act of grinding squirted juice all over the kitchen. Since then, I heat the berries in a big pot first, to pop the skins. Then I let the pot cool overnight. The next morning, after breakfast, I assemble the food mill and clamp it to the
kitchen table, next to several rags and two big bowls. In the sink, I place a cheese cloth lined colander over a large pot. I
ladle the juicy berries into the top hopper and start manually turning a metal arm
that draws <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the fruit down into the
grinder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The juice pours into one bowl,
while a pulpy, seedy bolus is extruded out into a second bowl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> <p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Our
food mill came with several grinders, each with different sized holes with
helpful usage labels like “salsa”, “berries” and “apples.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, we found that the “berry” grinder
cannot handle the seeds of the cranberries and currants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They clog the mechanism to a full stop, which
we then have to dismantle, clean, and reassemble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A MESS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So we use the “salsa” grinder which does not clog, but allows a lot of
seeds to escape into the juice bowl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now
what?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After I process the fruit, I pour
the seedy juice through the large cheese cloth lined colander
in the sink.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I squeeze out as much
of the juice as I can into the pot. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">When I have hens, I feed them the pulp and seeds. When I don't, I dump them in a location where a future bush might be a pleasant addition. </span>Major clean up of sink, table, floor, pots, bowls, and mechanisms ensue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></div><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When I have accumulated about 2 gallons of juice, it is time
to pressure can it in order to make it shelf stable for future enjoyment or for
gifts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> For my size canner, </span>I sterilize 7 quarts or 14 cups
of glass mason jars in hot water in the pressure canner while heating the juice on another
burner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ladle hot juice into hot jars,
screw the lid onto the canner, and process for about 15 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Easy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
I want to make jam or jelly, I mix a 1:2 ratio of sugar to juice and bring to a
gentle boil, cooking it down to thicken it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With a candy thermometer, I endeavor to get the temperature to about 220
F.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If all goes well, the mixture will
thicken into jam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If not, I have fruit
syrup.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s not to like?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also enjoy drinking the sweetened juice hot
or cold. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> When I was a single mom, I looked at those small, expensive
plastic containers of berries with envy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On occasions when I bought one or two, my boys and I devoured them in a minute.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel so fortunate now, to live in a setting
where so many delectable berries grow so prolifically… even in such a cold and
dreary summer, when little else did. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">RECIPE:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>SPICY
BARBEQUE SAUCE WITH BERRIES</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I make this is large batches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The recipe below is for a small batch, in
case you would like to try it out and tweak it for your tastebuds.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Beer: 1 cup</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Vinegar: 1 cup</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Molasses: 1 cup</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Berries:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>1 cup of mashed
raspberries or 1 cup of currant or cranberry juice<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Blackberries would be good, too)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Tomato paste:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>1 6 oz
can</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Chipotle in adobe sauce:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>1 pepper, chopped, and a tablespoon or so of sauce</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Add herbs and spices of choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I add coffee and cloves to “darken” the
flavor, several cloves of garlic, and chili powder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p>Enjoy.</p><p>Find my book for $5 on Kindle here, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZN1FZR9/ref=sr_1_1">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZN1FZR9/ref=sr_1_1</a> <br /></p>Laura Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01340597823610567000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810056512800341999.post-59447792922555620972023-08-31T19:05:00.002-08:002023-10-03T08:29:56.554-08:00Utilities Costs at a Remote, Off-Grid Home<p> Please see my most recent post <a href="https://survivalblog.com/2023/08/31/utilities-costs-remote-off-grid-home-mrs-alaska/" target="_blank">here</a>, in which I calculate the cost of electricity, water, mail, and other utilities that we had to build for ourselves 40 miles from the nearest road in Alaska. </p><p>I am honored to have it featured on <a href="http://SurvivalBlog.com">SurvivalBlog.com</a>, which, every day, offers informative articles of interest to people who want to live intentionally, and self-reliantly. It includes product reviews, recipes, historical anecdotes, snippets of news from the Redoubt states, and a huge variety of articles, including interesting interviews with people who have "bugged out" to rural locations and describe the strengths and weaknesses of their preparations. If you are interested in my blog, I heartily recommend www.survivalblog.com to your attention.</p><p>Find my book for $5 on Kindle here, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZN1FZR9/ref=sr_1_1">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZN1FZR9/ref=sr_1_1</a> <br /></p><p><br /></p>Laura Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01340597823610567000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810056512800341999.post-86473014922069467402023-07-16T13:58:00.003-08:002023-10-27T07:43:10.118-08:00A Dog's Life in Alaska: racing, coffee kiosks, and bears<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal">You might think that the Alaska state sport would be hockey,
but I would argue that it is dog mushing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The most famous race is the 1000 mile long Iditarod the first weekend of
March, but there are many other shorter, qualifying and alternative races, too,
that we all follow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Conversations buzz
with references to favorite mushers and favorite dogs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My husband and I live in an area of many
competitive and recreational dog mushers as well as long time volunteers who
help out at the races.</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_lOY4L1eTS_9GQZLpKFNIOlXtOvsSUbD_vu_rrNx_KA8HsA9K6YxTfo2g61pysAKUMMDC9jry7R9PRiKedjkRzqmCGDosgS5Lfu0jqCCPeK366wRld-tcOMIHeHAVPdPQUaQNCxklPJu28cBalmmtKTO4Ls-bw-5Ccss_VKXMHsYilBUE2WZv-v5P82Wa/s1600/dogsledjridit.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_lOY4L1eTS_9GQZLpKFNIOlXtOvsSUbD_vu_rrNx_KA8HsA9K6YxTfo2g61pysAKUMMDC9jry7R9PRiKedjkRzqmCGDosgS5Lfu0jqCCPeK366wRld-tcOMIHeHAVPdPQUaQNCxklPJu28cBalmmtKTO4Ls-bw-5Ccss_VKXMHsYilBUE2WZv-v5P82Wa/s320/dogsledjridit.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Jr. Iditarod racer and volunteers on our frozen lake<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Junior Iditarod race, for teenagers, used to pass right
in front of our cabin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was fun to a
teen on a sled, pulled by a team 10 or 12 dogs, each wearing fabric
booties to keep ice from forming between the toes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One of the state heroes is a dog, Balto, who was supposedly
the lead dog delivering life-saving diphtheria medicine from Nenana to Nome
back in 1925. Some impresario bought him, showed him at fairs outside the
state, and then the dog lived out his dotage at the Cleveland Zoo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A statue of him resides in, of all places,
New York City.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In Alaska, several dog mushing operations offer tourist
activities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have friends who work for
one near Willow, AK.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of their duties
is to take tourists on woodsy excursions by ATVs in summer and sleds in winter,
both pulled by a team of strong dogs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(You might be surprised by their size.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Mushing dogs, like huskies, are mid-sized, not mastiffs.)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A dog oriented-culture is surely true for most trans-polar
regions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dogs were cheaper to feed and
more successful in the cold than horses and mules to haul supply loads and
people through heavy snow before the engines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And heck, the warmth and companionship of dogs are welcome during long
cold winters, too. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sometimes we fly to town with Buddy, secured in a dog crate
that fits neatly behind the two seats in our little Piper floatplane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He does not like being cooped up, so we
always ensure something fun for him upon arrival.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First we explore the leafy foliage along the
lake where we dock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, treat of
treats, we drive to one of the many stand-alone coffee kiosks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>EVERY ONE offers a treat to accompanying dogs
when “their people” order. </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin9CJ0ykanD2vKW1FqPUCDQPmQ8u7Awkg5T7t_S8sXONujghjm_FDDpOF74QVCF6qUzULSLARUWTp8eae4v-iG0Lzbyc8Eq2qBsjmkgYbtbZnetIzAp5x-Gvn-DGuyjYpsHns1anmiPWJIQbi4xLSvhp3pYSPTzJ385GoaMvtwBmGWONDsSVls8JXnNbhy/s2560/Buddy%20on%20Kayak.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin9CJ0ykanD2vKW1FqPUCDQPmQ8u7Awkg5T7t_S8sXONujghjm_FDDpOF74QVCF6qUzULSLARUWTp8eae4v-iG0Lzbyc8Eq2qBsjmkgYbtbZnetIzAp5x-Gvn-DGuyjYpsHns1anmiPWJIQbi4xLSvhp3pYSPTzJ385GoaMvtwBmGWONDsSVls8JXnNbhy/s320/Buddy%20on%20Kayak.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buddy on the kayak's bow<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In anticipation, Buddy jumps into Bryan’s lap, and looks expectantly
out the window at the server as though to say “Whatcha got for me?” Most offer
dog biscuits but one gave him a plate of whipping cream with a slice of
bacon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our dog practically crawled out
the window to move in with that guy!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In towns and outlying areas, we see people with their dogs
in every form of conveyance – trucks, planes, rowboats, motor boats, canoes,
sleds, ATVs, RVs, and running along with bicyclists and joggers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A number of stores, like Sportsman’s
Warehouse, and of course, Pet Zoo, allow dogs inside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some restaurants allow them at outside
seating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was surprised to encounter a
pizza-making craft beer bar with a big fenced yard that did not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seems like a missed opportunity.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many people take
their dogs to work, especially at “Mom and Pop” businesses. Most of the air
taxis have a dog on the tarmac or dock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have seen pooches lazing
behind the counters of a hardware store, a retail shop, and a car repair place,
among many other locations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One
Veterinarian who was a private pilot made his living by flying out to remote
lodges and dog races to care for animals on site. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When he retired, he sold his plane to a friend
of ours. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Some dogs are beautifully trained to retrieve water fowl for
hunters and help with moose hunting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
the past, some dogs were trained to tree bears, but I do not know anyone here
who uses that tactic. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What I do NOT see are small dogs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An Alaskan would not be caught dead carrying
a tiny dog in a purse or pouch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Up here,
we call those “eagle bait.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Interestingly, I have not seen any labelled service dogs either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When we get together for picnics with human friends, they
often bring their dog pals, too. For the latter, I bring some of our homemade
dog treats (basically unsweetened peanut butter crackers).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In state parks, it is a rule that dogs must be leashed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some people want to let their pups run free,
but this can be hazardous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If a dog
encounters a bear and then runs back toward his people, the running triggers
the prey instinct in the bear, who will give chase towards the owner!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Similarly, if a loose dog disturbs a cache
of food hidden by the bruin, the big guy could be resting nearby and roused to
fiercely defend the carrion he was saving for a future meal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Fortunately, where we live, on a remote lake with a
population of 4, Buddy lives a leashless life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He jumps in the lake when he is hot or thirsty, and wanders the
property, darting after birds and toads.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Because he has seen moose and bear close up through screened windows, he
is alert to their scents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hope he
will be a good warning system when dinner is approaching through the woods. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day, humans and canines will enjoy
bear or moose steak on the grill, with a little blue cheese butter drizzled on top. </p>
Laura Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01340597823610567000noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810056512800341999.post-59705776874985138542023-06-21T14:53:00.007-08:002023-09-09T12:47:36.649-08:00Swan and Duck Strategies Outwit our Dog + Recipe for Fruit Shrub drink<p class="MsoNormal">I have read descriptions of birds luring predators away from
their nest of eggs or fledglings by feigning a broken wing or leg, but, until
yesterday, I had never witnessed this.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_HOL5mkvANULyfZqdw4OO4dyZPGFLAjMBvHN_N4Bs3x6ORWHcGZ6DnUikabg1UTU0yGbxg3YaBhrmvZbxlMt_XlPr_lixRJ5CCQsDjsuzzfpkqu89Q0ypBdmJ_jePDkrDKsoSDZrnns0F3cmMq35f0Lzjt4ck7HHYEBjxwP4SCDxgXh7jSLo9Xh1OtKN/s3264/Swans%20on%20TrailLake.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_HOL5mkvANULyfZqdw4OO4dyZPGFLAjMBvHN_N4Bs3x6ORWHcGZ6DnUikabg1UTU0yGbxg3YaBhrmvZbxlMt_XlPr_lixRJ5CCQsDjsuzzfpkqu89Q0ypBdmJ_jePDkrDKsoSDZrnns0F3cmMq35f0Lzjt4ck7HHYEBjxwP4SCDxgXh7jSLo9Xh1OtKN/s320/Swans%20on%20TrailLake.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swans on our lake most of the summer<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>At the time, we were enjoying our afternoon kayak around the
lake while our dog, Buddy, ran along the shore or paddled alongside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Across the lake, he startled a duck out of
the foliage along the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
fluttered in a shallow flight away from him, who watched in fascination and
then dived in to swim after her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were
amazed at how close she let him get to her – within 10 or 12 feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Usually, the ducks will fly far off, or the
loons will dive and resurface far away, or the gulls will dive bomb him (and
us).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In this case, the duck paddled back and forth in short
stints, but inexorably drawing Buddy deeper into the middle of the lake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Occasionally, she fluttered mere inches above
the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her behavior was abnormal, so
we wondered if she was hurt. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">However, when she reached some particular point in the
middle of the 1/2 mile wide lake, she soared off to the east, clearly a capable
flyer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Buddy slowed, disappointed, and
headed toward the western shore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At that
point, we turned our kayak around to retrace our path home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we did, we saw two, small, fluffy fledglings
paddling as fast as their little webbed feet could go, from the shore grasses
where their mother had launched her charade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What a clever and effective ruse to distract the Labrador Retriever.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A few days later, Buddy encountered water fowl with an
entirely different strategy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Three trumpeter swans were resting on the far side of the
lake, shining bright white against the green landscape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Buddy spied them, he slowed, trying to
figure out what they were because they were SO BIG and stationary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ((Factoids: Trumpeter swans are the heaviest flying bird in the world, and one of the longest: about 40 lbs, 5 - 6 ft long, with a wing span of 6 - 8 ft. What are male and female swans called? Inquiring minds ask. Answer: cobs and pens. Who knew?) </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After they glided out into the water, he followed
them at a pensive distance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They commenced
their loud, distinctive trumpeting calls that extend long distances and echo
off the surrounding mountains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Apparently, they were calling for reinforcements, because two more flew
in from the twin lakes behind our property, forming an intimidating platoon before
the naïve dog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These large and imperious
birds did not bother to fly away from Buddy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With their strong legs and big webbed feet, they paddled just out of his
range, exhausting him as he swam around them for 10 – 15 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tuckered out, he decided to leave them alone,
and head to shore, after which he had to run a longer perimeter than usual to
return home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a good lesson for
him, because swans can be mean and have been recorded as drowning people that
got too close, and surely other mammals, too. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> In subsequent days, as the three swans slid past the dock in front of our house, Buddy watched with interest, but made no motion to follow them. <br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Our dog certainly sleeps well after these outings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What does he dream about?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Probably,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“I almost caught her…”</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">RECIPE: FRUIT SHRUB</p><p class="MsoNormal">a shrub is an old fashioned drink, popular when potable water was not always available.</p><p class="MsoNormal">1:1:1 ratio of juicy fruit (or rhubarb), sugar or honey, and a gentle vinegar (like apple cider/white or red wine/rice). If you use stronger white vinegar, use less of it.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Heat a pot of fruit and honey into a syrup. Let that marinate in the refrigerator for several days. Then add the vinegar. Taste after several days. Adjust the proportions. </p><p class="MsoNormal">The vinegar should add a tang, but the dominant flavor should be the sweet fruit. </p><p class="MsoNormal">This is refreshing as is or as an addition to still or sparkling water, wine, or vodka. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Just as in salad dressings or other preparations, vinegar has health benefits in consumption. This is another version.<br /></p>
<p></p>Laura Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01340597823610567000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810056512800341999.post-13482836906295688602023-06-04T18:08:00.019-08:002023-09-09T12:49:22.934-08:00Spring Breakup: Two weeks from snow to edible wild plants<p class="MsoNormal">(The prior article focuses on the Breakup's lake ice and water fowl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This one focuses on rapid changes on land).</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Breakup, our term for spring, is FAST. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After a long winter, the snow melts several inches a day in
April and May, leaving increasing spaces of muddy soil shaped by serpentine
tunnels of voles (meadow mice) and punctuated by 8 months of dog poop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A Southern relative asked me why I wait until
spring to pick it up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why not do so
every day?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps she has not spent
much time in snow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Warm excretions sink
through soft snow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So in spring, we find
the scat of moose, coyotes, spruce hens, and our dog, Buddy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjdw-kAq1DAdwbuEvs_pcuzcCULJCZRMw8C81U1uLdy9bxFmIMzVdMof7WuVs3bFdhZkyBwSN7Y67OR1XCXiKwvBDBrSdluxKXqvY8FRNIhC2wXE_r7acwqjEsOYeMnEGCIufUSBdfVddpVHLclyvggpSDnCKjGrOGQGxtprpRwnoGkzfc0_bQJ4hHyw/s1600/019%20(4).JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjdw-kAq1DAdwbuEvs_pcuzcCULJCZRMw8C81U1uLdy9bxFmIMzVdMof7WuVs3bFdhZkyBwSN7Y67OR1XCXiKwvBDBrSdluxKXqvY8FRNIhC2wXE_r7acwqjEsOYeMnEGCIufUSBdfVddpVHLclyvggpSDnCKjGrOGQGxtprpRwnoGkzfc0_bQJ4hHyw/s320/019%20(4).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note how red the calf is. The cow blends into the spruce trunks.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></div><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I shovel his winter poop into four small, galvanized bucket
loads and dump it beneath a tree at the edge of our woods, in a low spot behind
the berm that edges the lake so it will not defile that water source. On our
muddy paths, we find the distinctive oval tracks of 1000 pound + moose along
side branches of new cranberry growth snapped off as tasty snacks by these hungry,
herbivorous ungulates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is usually not
until early June that we open the curtains in the morning to see a cow munching
bushes a few feet away, with one or two gangly little calves nursing beneath
her big belly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I look forward to that.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In early May, we harvested about 20 gallons of birch sap before
the leaves emerged, but the sap turned milky (bad) fast, and my effort at birch
sap wine molded. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By mid-May, the first
flowers are always those of wild currants, their small and modest mauve and
white flowers emerging above snow covered root stock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the end of May - only two weeks after the
yard was mostly covered with snow, I harvested dandelion leaves, flowers, and
fireweed shoots for our first fresh salads, accompanied by biscuits flavored with
citrusy larch tips. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Far less useful growth
is the wild sweet grass that reached shin height in a week which, if left
alone, would ascend to 6 feet by July and flop over and strangle all plants
nearby. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, an urgent, annual spring task
of mine, while growth is emerging so quickly, is to weed whack tough, spiny devil’s
club, wild raspberries and the wild grass over 7 days, one hour per day to make
space and sun for more desirable opportunistic plants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicAeSKnJZ85mZuk8vKdN1DGZmARS-mBmbaQoZi5q59OoptnMYdqHnbs7IJJ8UD7qKnuUGFTSt9y1RpLT6Zii6WwumxJwdKMRvuuDLT5W4NWT7VgKuCv3e-C3nX3nSJxHlBpdPSBQip3_lEO27OzD7F_vfEG-_g2Ano-ht72oMj77rtUy1R40YGblCQdA/s1632/Birch%20sap%20tap.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1632" data-original-width="918" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicAeSKnJZ85mZuk8vKdN1DGZmARS-mBmbaQoZi5q59OoptnMYdqHnbs7IJJ8UD7qKnuUGFTSt9y1RpLT6Zii6WwumxJwdKMRvuuDLT5W4NWT7VgKuCv3e-C3nX3nSJxHlBpdPSBQip3_lEO27OzD7F_vfEG-_g2Ano-ht72oMj77rtUy1R40YGblCQdA/s320/Birch%20sap%20tap.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birch sap tap<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></div><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Why raspberries, you might ask?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who doesn’t like raspberries?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here, they grow in thick stands <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>through underground runners as well as animal and
bird spread seeds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The dense growth is
not allopathic chemically, but physically.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They deter any other plants except nettles and grow tall enough to
entangle the branches of nearby shrubs and saplings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> (Elsewhere, we grow five rows of domestic raspberries for fruit)<br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To reduce the population, I have to use a weed whacker blade
to cut through dozens of canes per square yard the first year, after which I can shift to a
weed whacker line for several more years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This multi-year effort opens up space for more desirable ground cover to
naturalize.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It delights me to see the
dappled shade beneath birch and spruce populated by graceful ferns, white dwarf
dogwood and starflower, pink prickly rose, (which is related to raspberries), and
the wild currants, which tumble over and around spruce stumps. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I love my first morning sniff of the outdoors as soon as new
growth emerges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every day smells sweet,
and different, as a succession of plants come into leaf or bloom. Even the sweet grass, as the name suggests, and alder leaves have a delicious scent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As I look through the windows of our log cabin, and walk up
and down our paths through the property, I enjoy the evolution of two rather
large and tangled rose gardens, and large expanses of “lawn” lovely all summer with
white starflower and dwarf dogwood as well as domestic strawberries that naturalized
into a ground cover along the lake shore.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My weeding efforts generate not only beauty but food and
habitat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I increase the number of cranberries
I harvest from those pretty shrubs for juicing every fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rose bushes grow nearby, where I gather petals
for salads and hips (the fruit that follows the flowers) for vitamin C
additions to winter teas. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those little
spruce and birch grow slowly for about the first 6 years and after that about 2
feet per year, for shade and windbreaks for us, and habitat and food for birds
and martens.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This successional development of plants has developed into
an enduring interest for me. Although I rather ruthlessly cut raspberries and
devil’s club to the ground, I weed whack the wild grasses several inches above,
in order to scrutinize what wants to grow here or there if given some sun and
space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wander slowly with a roll of
blue flagging tape, leaning down to mark tiny spruce and birch, as well as
other slow growing, desirable plants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
goal has never been a suburban lawn of grass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I love the wild plants – but I admit to favoring the ones I extol here
vs the invasive growth of alder, devil’s club, and sweet grass, which I endeavor to reduce, but not eradicate, in number and influence.</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">My newly published book can be found here: </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Log-Cabin-Reflections-Off-Grid-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0BZN1FZR9/ref=sr_1_1">https://www.amazon.com/Log-Cabin-Reflections-Off-Grid-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0BZN1FZR9/ref=sr_1_1</a><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Log-Cabin-Reflections-Off-Grid-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0BZN1FZR9/ref=sr_1_1"> </a> I hope that you enjoy it!<br /></span></p>
<p></p>Laura Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01340597823610567000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810056512800341999.post-80318238364300556572023-06-02T13:24:00.001-08:002023-09-09T12:50:57.105-08:00Spring: Lake Breakup in Alaska: From Snowmachine to Kayak in 2 weeks<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal">The end of winter 2023 was S-L-O-W.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We finally put away our snowmachines on April
28. But after that, the transition from ice to water on the lake took a mere two weeks.<br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Chj_WAuDUUYBREIJBQy77uDvhyd6-x72SaU7wr7Nw7jZdT4eO-pDPz3RUjPThTFDYe_JAHh-0qL-_LUgJDd2I2bRkGD6UZW3DEJ90v8-cu3y-1bTrFGQzVJvxorDFymN8O0Sxc9GOaZaoufeMxKuedRiAnBiDy9C3eL2Wi4HqYqtGuc72Gy8B-O_QA/s2800/HPIM0419.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2128" data-original-width="2800" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Chj_WAuDUUYBREIJBQy77uDvhyd6-x72SaU7wr7Nw7jZdT4eO-pDPz3RUjPThTFDYe_JAHh-0qL-_LUgJDd2I2bRkGD6UZW3DEJ90v8-cu3y-1bTrFGQzVJvxorDFymN8O0Sxc9GOaZaoufeMxKuedRiAnBiDy9C3eL2Wi4HqYqtGuc72Gy8B-O_QA/s320/HPIM0419.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />When migrating geese and cranes flew overhead in late April/early May, our dog loped toward them, along the hard packed snowmachine tracks
that traversed the lake ice, only to be surprised when he sank several inches as
he veered off into the soft and rotting snow on either side of the path.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> We saw the snow change color as both it and the underlying lake ice melted. In some light conditions, the streaks of color looked almost Caribbean: sea green, light blue, and sand colors, until the ice got super thin and looked black.<br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Within a meager two weeks, KAYAK SEASON arrived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yea!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
Despite plenty of snow on the ground, </span>on May 13, we three kayaked among the ice floes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To my dismay, Buddy jumped off the bow onto
a soft ice floe and sank into frigid water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
hauled him into the kayak, all 65 pounds of him, and returned home to warm him
up with blankets and food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two days
later though, the lake was ice free on May 15, as usual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such a reliably punctual date over many decades. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">We kayaked along the periphery of the lake while Buddy ran along shore through snowmelt and soggy bogs, throwing off sprays of water. He sniffed all the various scents on air, water, and soil, and looked absolutely delighted. </span>Until mid-Oct, we kayak every day that
lacks high winds or heavy rain, accompanied by homemade wine (for me) and
homemade beer (for Bryan) and peanuts for all three of us. Each week something else blooms, changes color, and scents the air. <br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6OoI94TDF79OMumVZpEha7fcmXCRHJJZhjOzZgdIHRBBry5i7-Moz08DfSivdLJ-4KQooa9fLV9Yl3RlXa1cGHzp_Q6m7IMMjQvLvoB0mv-1y7qHbeUEm_xQoSg8V4EuhczSq0KEVeyEZhFSFdDvpGn2lnF24dYMPHM6Gm4dKWTrrDphnPa5owId6wA/s2560/Buddy%20on%20Kayak.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6OoI94TDF79OMumVZpEha7fcmXCRHJJZhjOzZgdIHRBBry5i7-Moz08DfSivdLJ-4KQooa9fLV9Yl3RlXa1cGHzp_Q6m7IMMjQvLvoB0mv-1y7qHbeUEm_xQoSg8V4EuhczSq0KEVeyEZhFSFdDvpGn2lnF24dYMPHM6Gm4dKWTrrDphnPa5owId6wA/s320/Buddy%20on%20Kayak.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>In breakup, we start to see and hear many more neighboring creatures than we did
in the depths of winter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One day in late
May, we saw our first moose of the year – a large, blonde one across the
lake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day, Buddy startled
a river otter or beaver out of the brush which leapt into the lake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I caught a mere glimpse of the round, brown head
from the corner of my eye, so I am not sure of the species.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">) </span><p></p><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As a Labrador mix, our dog is attuned to birds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, all water fowl have skills and
abilities that exceed his. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like Wiley Coyote,
who never caught Roadrunner, Buddy is eager to chase the ducks but never, ever
catches one. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When from shore he spies a
pair swimming, he wriggles his butt, circles his tail, makes a distinctive whine, and jumps into the cold water,
swimming toward them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ducks take his
measure, let him approach to a specific distance, and then fly safely to the far
shore. By contrast, loons dive with their strong feet and reappear 100
or so feet away. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Buddy looks left and right, slows down, and then resignedly paddles to the nearest shore. Foiled again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a few days of this, the ducks wisely
decided to lay nests in the grass and shrubs along the twin lakes behind us,
where their progeny can incubate and hatch, unmolested.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But adults still visit here, feeding on larvae and
perhaps baby pike and pike eggs. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizicUaV33JTc-RdLa2tB4W6oO28PBLGbPBQV3Gs0haEICGDFtNS6GPcYC3IMr8w-mN_3uLr8o_rtp14HGhYh8vxNUXEZ6PHCTYr2jXxPDlDn9azItZU8JGGMtsJ-tVG-1Vhyq0kxSSGvE07sPOD1QRAVa-Oo8Eq8g6-Fhm0hR0pbcmauNriML2Ht86tA/s1600/DSCN1076.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizicUaV33JTc-RdLa2tB4W6oO28PBLGbPBQV3Gs0haEICGDFtNS6GPcYC3IMr8w-mN_3uLr8o_rtp14HGhYh8vxNUXEZ6PHCTYr2jXxPDlDn9azItZU8JGGMtsJ-tVG-1Vhyq0kxSSGvE07sPOD1QRAVa-Oo8Eq8g6-Fhm0hR0pbcmauNriML2Ht86tA/s320/DSCN1076.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Before 2015, I used to LOVE seeing loons
raise and train 8 - 12 soft, fluffy fledglings on our lake. The little ones learned to dive and fly in
Keystone Cops commotion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know
why the loons stopped laying eggs here at that time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since then (7 years before
our dog joined us in 2022), we see visiting pairs of loons and many species of migrating
fowl but no resident families.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
around that year that spruce beetles devastated the region’s forests, so
perhaps other elements of the eco-system attractive to loons changed then, too.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Whatever the reasons may be, each year the changes from winter to spring are fast and dramatic both on the lake and on land. (See blog about land changes in next article).</p>
<p></p>Laura Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01340597823610567000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810056512800341999.post-11987446342560711172023-03-26T19:29:00.005-08:002023-04-15T08:08:22.960-08:00Homesteading in Remote Alaska: What Were We Thinking?<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Here is the link to the Zoom recording of the talk: <a href="https://hamilton.zoom.us/rec/share/l-rMM3HLm0aAT_zYGiE9uAKOyUTIPf8tgQv_AGiLVdCavjOR2I6XfDsEFIx-Rqta.Z3-atrA7BPcnngBK">https://hamilton.zoom.us/rec/share/l-rMM3HLm0aAT_zYGiE9uAKOyUTIPf8tgQv_AGiLVdCavjOR2I6XfDsEFIx-Rqta.Z3-atrA7BPcnngBK</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <br /></span></p>
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thrill of off-grid living while his wife, Laura, sets the record straight.
They'll share how they decided to leave their high-rise home in Houston and
move to an off-grid log cabin in Alaska, 45 miles from the nearest road. While
Bryan had grown up camping, hunting and fishing in Wisconsin, Laura felt
totally unprepared to move to bush Alaska. Join them as they share their
story and hear how Laura adapted to her new remote environment and now
shares words of caution, condolence, empathy, and advice with spouses of
other would-be pioneers to America’s Last Frontier.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Also, my book was just published today at </p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6FV22GHV_D-rCRkoPoW4nS6dVQq35IZphPzMzbxIPemTeSMg0nuBXNSiuJxtoypuXmZwxSfZzKB70sK5Hzie6F_oZE3KpgedxTFhp-Syvh4-qvWvxvKCgYXtlCn7Zb_ij42YD5tKqrnAzAO203OuF_07d5v6LmkhIXUVXgru9m0P14Ze6YUYchRegQ/s342/Log%20Cabin%20Reflections%20cover.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="210" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6FV22GHV_D-rCRkoPoW4nS6dVQq35IZphPzMzbxIPemTeSMg0nuBXNSiuJxtoypuXmZwxSfZzKB70sK5Hzie6F_oZE3KpgedxTFhp-Syvh4-qvWvxvKCgYXtlCn7Zb_ij42YD5tKqrnAzAO203OuF_07d5v6LmkhIXUVXgru9m0P14Ze6YUYchRegQ/s320/Log%20Cabin%20Reflections%20cover.png" width="196" /></a></div><br /><p><br />
</p>Laura Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01340597823610567000noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810056512800341999.post-36135196722968048342023-03-16T10:08:00.003-08:002023-03-16T11:38:08.281-08:00Two Health Evacuations from Bush Alaska<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSOBe9pLIxN1A5-Axbq7V98sEAPntNOX-bu0DhVd-Mu2w-hta4Tkphr5sT1bH0WXdNIa_nr02i2K8NvcviJNP0t0-KLwa_1cJg0sncfBqQiafW7-kM9uLZ2S9ZGO4RssuiO8crNt2Z07hHHIFyooXG8OlwKwQwUcznPwQnusoHB-xt5tRn9iBVKmVNRQ/s2560/0310231645.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Laura dismounting from snowmachine with Buddy" border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSOBe9pLIxN1A5-Axbq7V98sEAPntNOX-bu0DhVd-Mu2w-hta4Tkphr5sT1bH0WXdNIa_nr02i2K8NvcviJNP0t0-KLwa_1cJg0sncfBqQiafW7-kM9uLZ2S9ZGO4RssuiO8crNt2Z07hHHIFyooXG8OlwKwQwUcznPwQnusoHB-xt5tRn9iBVKmVNRQ/w240-h320/0310231645.jpg" title="Laura dismounting from snowmachine with Buddy" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laura on snowmachine with Buddy</td></tr></tbody></table>A frequent question we are asked about living a 3.5 hour
snowmachine trek away from the nearest road is, “What do you do in a health
emergency?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, now, after two health-related evacuations, I can answer that question.
<p class="MsoNormal">1<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">) </span>Last winter,
my husband experienced chest pain for several days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He feared that he was experiencing a cardiac
issue and was, therefore, not confident about snowmachining to town to reach a
doctor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, we have an annual
subscription to a Life Flight company.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For
the first time, Bryan called them, described his symptoms, and 45 minutes
later, a helicopter pilot and her two burly medics landed on our remote lake to
whisk him off to a regional hospital.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Three EKGs later, the doctors told Bryan that he did not
have a cardiac problem and, in doctor language, told him to go home and suck it
up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A friend snowmachined him home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To my relief, insurance paid for the life
flight ($24,000). </p><p class="MsoNormal">2)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This winter,
my back most molar started to hurt and over three days, grew very painful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clearly, I required either an extraction or a
root canal. I found an emergency dentist in Wasilla who could see me on short
notice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, we were in the
midst of a three day snowstorm of wet, heavy snow!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did not trust our old, narrow, 660 cc snowmachines
to deliver me safely without bogging down several times along the route.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So Bryan called a reliable and resourceful family that we
have engaged over several years for many reasons, including to build about half
of our 8 buildings, haul in supplies in March, and sell us delicious frozen
chickens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, we had a delivery date
scheduled shortly for fuel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He asked if
they could move up the intended date in order to take me with them on the
back haul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure enough, the very next
day, the intrepid son and daughter, Anson and Oceana (probably in their early
20s), arrived, coated in snow, but without the expected load of gasoline.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The snow they traveled through was so wet and
heavy that it grabbed their skis and tread, adding weight to the machines and
belabored the engines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So they left the sled
loaded with 200 gallons of gasoline (about 1600 lbs) on the Susitna River
rather than hazard getting stuck on the steep and sinuous woodsy trails to our
home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvMNvgyeFH72MDbofwrAGoBqfaPSS3vzgvuP1LJ7ooRyrEDHehLP9DENvo4w1BICsQkLe-DnH7TaCfxCFChzfAXEWlgbP0MvGYupzpw9VGzJR_mIrjVj3O6KKPM1kvwZWrVZVhMnxyVKiu5RoylfDlgonDREsRrVY2Yx5G7w25pXWhjgAIvwTXsoyl5w/s1600/hauling.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvMNvgyeFH72MDbofwrAGoBqfaPSS3vzgvuP1LJ7ooRyrEDHehLP9DENvo4w1BICsQkLe-DnH7TaCfxCFChzfAXEWlgbP0MvGYupzpw9VGzJR_mIrjVj3O6KKPM1kvwZWrVZVhMnxyVKiu5RoylfDlgonDREsRrVY2Yx5G7w25pXWhjgAIvwTXsoyl5w/s320/hauling.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A freight hauling sled<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />We stowed my small overnight bag and then I clambered up
onto the comfortable rear seat (with heated handlebars) on one of the two, powerful
900 cc vehicles.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The first half of the trek was gorgeous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, Anson and I both used the phrase,
“Winter Wonderland.” Young spruce
trees bowed low under the weight of the snow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The ancient, twisted trees of the boreal forest suggested fanciful forms,
like hunched gnomes and ballerinas with arched arms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One upturned root ball looked like a rabbit
profile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other trees, buffeted by wind,
careened into others, forming bridges and tripods. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The narrow trail veered left and right, up
and down, following a series of little reflective markers nailed into
trees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the dense woods, we traveled
at about 10 – 12 mph and were protected from the wind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the flats (ice covered lakes and snow
covered bogs), <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>we sped up to 25 mph through
snow and sleet that pelted our faces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Two hours later, in the waning light of afternoon, we encountered
the first little cabins, dotting the ridge above the river, as well as a moose
resting out of the wind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My competent
team of snowmachiners hitched the sled of gasoline to one vehicle, and then
tethered the two machines together to power the load uphill out of the river
valley.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We managed each hill this way.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Overflow, which is a thick layer of slushy ice water on top
of the lake ice (and insulated by the new snow) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>encumbered our passage across a broad lake that
we know is fed by springs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oceana
dropped me off at the far end of the water way, to shed some weight, and then she
and her brother tied the two vehicles together to pull the heavy sled fast and
hard through the water to an elevated shore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anson lay on the ground to
scoop out wet snow clinging to the skis and tread.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A very large moose, which I did not see when he
was still, caught my eye as he lumbered away from the noisy engines.</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqbUD7lnj8Gx890rWfyrAqPUmQN2Nte2yiI3vzWZwu6NyBMR7CyOKvWhGQ1jQhBNlXmV1thuU7g2jScZNOs5upCxLpQvD68CK7aRqLUNLtVhERE-sBMdupu1Uvqs8oWdR24P_MpCaoWzNBxwW3AlcwwMYhu48EA_JFtNpzntQFN4u_8k3uCx7N0UkZw/s2592/Overflow%202017%20A.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1944" data-original-width="2592" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqbUD7lnj8Gx890rWfyrAqPUmQN2Nte2yiI3vzWZwu6NyBMR7CyOKvWhGQ1jQhBNlXmV1thuU7g2jScZNOs5upCxLpQvD68CK7aRqLUNLtVhERE-sBMdupu1Uvqs8oWdR24P_MpCaoWzNBxwW3AlcwwMYhu48EA_JFtNpzntQFN4u_8k3uCx7N0UkZw/s320/Overflow%202017%20A.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our plane in overflow on the lake.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After 3.5 hours, I saw, through the sleet and darkness, the
first fence and telephone pole I had seen since my prior trip to town in
September.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We skirted a small natural
gas plant where gas lines from the Cook Inlet connect to other gas lines on
this side of that waterway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shortly
thereafter, we stopped abruptly because a moose was resting in the middle of
the hard packed snow trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He or she
reluctantly moved a few feet so we could pass, and then quickly returned to the
marginally warmer spot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, we reached
Anson’s home, from which his parents kindly drove me to a friend’s house to spend
the night before my much needed visit to the dentist the next morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He extracted the tooth and its roots in a noisy/scary
but pain-free procedure.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Because Anson had out-of-town friends visiting the following
week, he could not take me home right away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So, since I was on the road system and could get to the airport, I
booked a last minute flight to San Francisco where I was able to visit my
father, sister, and brother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During that
week, the Alaska night time temperatures dropped enough to harden up the snow
for a faster and easier return cross-country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When the snow was firm,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I flew back
to Anchorage, spent the night, drove 45 minutes north, spent another night, and
finally rode home with Anson on a beautiful, sunny day, toward “My Mountain”
which increasingly dominated my field of vision, welcoming me home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I arrived <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>at 4.30 pm with a load of mail, lots of store
bought food, one less tooth than I used to have, and great appreciation for the
“can-do” attitude of Anson’s intrepid family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">All’s well that ends well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><p></p>Laura Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01340597823610567000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810056512800341999.post-58455835480215518912023-01-27T09:52:00.001-09:002023-09-09T12:52:00.325-08:00Wildlife Questions of Alaska Fish and Game<p class="MsoNormal">At least once a year, I call Fish and Game (and other state
Natural Resource departments) with questions about wildlife changes I have
noticed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The biologists are always
responsive, nice, and well informed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Below are Q and A from a recent phone call with a Fish and
Game biologist:</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfd3B_Is-lIpELzPNFBrtKQpJmbUO718icBa9WZiZ4uf_MdvbkyLZjimEr7iP4qRsq9p7hBYr5IRuzJYqNv3VUhXh44jhUc9a-NUeP07ss03ENWSVtdpw4fX-nsM6cY_Ioetpz7_uQXZA2pPP60J0rtTxPVaLmrX5aqac-3BsmROF0d2nYABWBLQjm2Q/s2560/Wolverine%20tracks%20in%20the%20snow.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Wolverine tracks in the snow" border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="2560" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfd3B_Is-lIpELzPNFBrtKQpJmbUO718icBa9WZiZ4uf_MdvbkyLZjimEr7iP4qRsq9p7hBYr5IRuzJYqNv3VUhXh44jhUc9a-NUeP07ss03ENWSVtdpw4fX-nsM6cY_Ioetpz7_uQXZA2pPP60J0rtTxPVaLmrX5aqac-3BsmROF0d2nYABWBLQjm2Q/w320-h240/Wolverine%20tracks%20in%20the%20snow.jpg" title="Wolverine tracks in the snow" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wolverine tracks in the snow</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Q:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We saw large bear
tracks in the snow on New Year’s Eve, a cold week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No
raining into a den. Didn’t the bruin get the memo about hibernating?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why would a bear be out and about that time
of year?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bears that are
old, starving, or infirm will often leave their den in order to die
elsewhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(That was certainly
illuminating to me!)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Q:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since 2007, the
first wolf we saw up close was last year, sitting on the frozen lake across
from our cabin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This winter, we hear
more of them, my dog smells them, and we hear/see fewer coyotes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Insights?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fish and Game had
a predator control program in your area of Alaska from 2012 to 2016.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We culled the packs to about 41 wolves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since we stopped, we have recently counted 15
packs of about 125 animals in the region.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yes, as wolf populations increase, they cull coyotes. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Q:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We used to see
lots of hares and their tracks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last year
and this, very few.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are nearing the
end of their 10 year population cycle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You will likely start seeing more hare and lynx tracks (a major
predator) in future years.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Q:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last year and
this, we have seen more wolverine tracks close to our home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last winter, one walked right under our
cabin, tracking dirt into the snow as he walked down to the frozen lake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This winter we see big tracks and long gaits -
bigger and longer than estimated in my “Scats and Tracks” book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A big guy nearby. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You live in a zone
with a healthy wolverine population.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
am not surprised by your observations.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My contact, Chris, was on top of every question I asked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was great. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVm7kJvZsbPrg-EJvHr9ZQHjj-Qoa-u9U3CA7JFJ_QicPo8lDXf-_AGz4zyBD44Vu-5CUMy5plNeR9p7fhqMmR0x1hJm-VMyC5W2dPh_78tF53WHWJLQWPudaaEmWInwq_MaX9L2ZMoQInFfxK731skbpsmjG9wLip9gQYEm7ZOuJg4hzTO4B620t9w/s1920/Wolverine.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="https://wallpaperaccess.com/full/2566996.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVm7kJvZsbPrg-EJvHr9ZQHjj-Qoa-u9U3CA7JFJ_QicPo8lDXf-_AGz4zyBD44Vu-5CUMy5plNeR9p7fhqMmR0x1hJm-VMyC5W2dPh_78tF53WHWJLQWPudaaEmWInwq_MaX9L2ZMoQInFfxK731skbpsmjG9wLip9gQYEm7ZOuJg4hzTO4B620t9w/w320-h180/Wolverine.jpg" title="https://wallpaperaccess.com/full/2566996.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wolverine (stock photo)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I forgot to ask him if the death of millions of spruce trees
to beetle kill in the past 8 years has impacted animal populations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would certainly think that as an important
component of our eco-system declines, animal populations dependent on spruce
would shift.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I already see succession
plants moving into the newly open areas previously densely shaded by 80 foot
spruce trees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We still see spruce grouse
and ruffed grouse, but not the darling two families that each year reliably
raised babies on our property, marching the little ones to and fro with gentle
cooing by the mom. I LOVED those! I saw only one porcupine, years ago, and none
since then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hear fewer owls at night than
we used to. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Some years, our land is traversed by several bears (usually
black, seldom brown) and moose with calves in June.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other years few.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are down to our last two quarts of bear
meat from two years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Saving it for
bear tacos).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moose chow down on birch branches, but hide
behind healthy, thick spruce boughs, and blend in beautifully.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would think that these enormous ungulates
might be easier for predators (wolves and bears) to spot as the spruce thickets
thin and die.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Even the population of insects varies (except for
mosquitoes, which are consistently tortuous in June).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This rainy summer, we saw very few hornets or
yellow jackets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nice that the rain had
at least one advantage. When temperatures topped 80 degrees F, the lake never bloomed with a red, waterlogged rainbow of spider mites. <br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My dog sits inside today, with his paws on the window sill, watching
“snow TV.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yesterday, his hackles rose
(for the second time this year), as he smelled or heard wolves behind the trees
that line the lake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Observing nature’s
changes, from inside and out, entertains me, too.</p>
<p></p>Laura Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01340597823610567000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810056512800341999.post-31416463689993274312023-01-19T10:41:00.002-09:002023-09-09T12:53:21.678-08:00A Clogged Chimney at a Wood Heated Alaska Cabin<p><br /><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4RdPUGTdvmtDGKggO5GCCeNpDlMgejGR1ho9g9NHTWUjMVqPt7eHfVYl-xK6-2rDsQXK9enlGX_hl8VjjcU6kcKk5uY5v5Q8e9wGnTu8UlLzRzXj7egtIUJ_QzjwhhPXC8AQCNGunZ-dVfcJ1Q7cwVRiii-kAx0Ob_HCRoM2YITNvBZ4eh4ec3XxKg/s3264/20221226_113258.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4RdPUGTdvmtDGKggO5GCCeNpDlMgejGR1ho9g9NHTWUjMVqPt7eHfVYl-xK6-2rDsQXK9enlGX_hl8VjjcU6kcKk5uY5v5Q8e9wGnTu8UlLzRzXj7egtIUJ_QzjwhhPXC8AQCNGunZ-dVfcJ1Q7cwVRiii-kAx0Ob_HCRoM2YITNvBZ4eh4ec3XxKg/w150-h200/20221226_113258.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stove pipe creosote, 3 months' use<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Note:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After reading
this article, readers may ask themselves, “How long has it been since I
cleaned my chimney? </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Our off-grid log home is heated by a Drolet wood stove that burns
spruce and birch almost 24/7 during the coldest winter months, up to 40 logs per day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fast, hot fires burn more cleanly than do
slow, cooler fires because of the speed and temperature of the smoke that rises
and exits through the stove pipe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wood
that is less than optimally dry* or letting fires cool down, go out, and then restarting
them frequently contribute to smoke conditions that coat the interior of the
stove pipe with creosote and ash.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This builds up
like cholesterol in arteries, narrowing the circumference through which the
smoke escapes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A clogged chimney is a
dangerous chimney. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dependent as we are
on heating our home with wood, these issues warrant frequent maintenance to
ensure a clean burn, clean air, and a safe home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On the first of every month, my husband opens the exterior
“chase” and shoves upward an extendable chimney sweep, which, with its thick circle
of metal bristles, scrapes off creosote.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The flakes shower down, looking like greasy, shiny bits of charcoal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We sweep up the debris and dump it in the
outhouse hole, not wanting it in our gardens, yard, or water table. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Still, this task is not enough to ensure a clean chimney and
part of the problem may be our less than </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5pdyAwScVd1rMDpLvvhbBYKO7LFOeWcni1WkeyrbA9kZX8alcTnP3sxonFEt-7VnfyWsjZ2W0U5XzSfT_C2KrVDoBqWYuoGFFnHJj6cw-BvFXMei9M2reDMkcSxaNCTpgIXu58Z92HSgJOgjLs7q4x47tqbLX3sU9moSH3brENUTLjHVzw-QkSSY9Ig/s3264/20230119_101449.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5pdyAwScVd1rMDpLvvhbBYKO7LFOeWcni1WkeyrbA9kZX8alcTnP3sxonFEt-7VnfyWsjZ2W0U5XzSfT_C2KrVDoBqWYuoGFFnHJj6cw-BvFXMei9M2reDMkcSxaNCTpgIXu58Z92HSgJOgjLs7q4x47tqbLX3sU9moSH3brENUTLjHVzw-QkSSY9Ig/w150-h200/20230119_101449.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wood stove with hot water tank<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />optimal design.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have an interior metal tube that rises
about 4.5 feet from the wood stove and then exits the structure at a 90 degree
angle, to ascend 2.5 stories above our metal roof.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The horizontal section slows the smoke and
collects debris (see photo above). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every spring cleaning,
we dismantle the interior pipe and vacuum it out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another
problem is much higher, where it is hard to address.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many chimney tops, including ours, are
encircled with several inches of mesh wire to retard sparks and deter birds from
nesting within a quiescent, summer chimney.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This mesh is topped by a flat, metal cap to keep out rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">With a hot fire, the smoke quickly ascends the 2.5 stories
before it cools.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A cooler fire means cooler,
slower smoke and more creosote build up. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even in mid-winter, when one would think that
our fires are very hot, we used to see salmon colored creosote icicles dangle
from the mesh, eventually crashing onto the back porch, leaving a distinctively
resinous scent that we did not want our boots to carry inside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1BAVRZLe9tWvu2D9ZxyyLiRK3i_nTbl94e-GVSQWrz6-58f9jITelsV9l-njwYqwih0qgyn5KJ0H1lL1TI95bEjSWH7S-t7VaQQg5BXmdnJkeAsAST-NUofizK8HouIDu18mh5yZYluPN5grqJN4ZWNfnzT2YzvxN9edG34ztPzDo21k7T1AzgQTQoA/s3264/20230119_101350.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1BAVRZLe9tWvu2D9ZxyyLiRK3i_nTbl94e-GVSQWrz6-58f9jITelsV9l-njwYqwih0qgyn5KJ0H1lL1TI95bEjSWH7S-t7VaQQg5BXmdnJkeAsAST-NUofizK8HouIDu18mh5yZYluPN5grqJN4ZWNfnzT2YzvxN9edG34ztPzDo21k7T1AzgQTQoA/w150-h200/20230119_101350.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back of cabin, hot tub to right<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Every summer, Bryan climbed our longest ladder with a poking
tool that he jury rigged out of a paint roller to hammer and poke at creosote
accretions that clogged the mesh. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
stood below, holding the ladder, wearing a hard hat to protect my head from the
rain of hard chunky bits that he dislodged. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After complaining about this task to a wise
friend in Wasilla, we heard the directive:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Remove the cap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are in more
danger of smoke damage than of a bird nest.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Heard and noted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, two summers ago, Bryan ascended the ladder
with tin snips and succeeded in cutting out the section of mesh that faced him,
and two of the four tines that held the cap in place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, he could not reach those on the far
side of the chimney.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So he descended the
ladder, got a hammer, and rammed the cap up and back at a rakish angle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The chimney now had a “mouth” to which no
creosote could cling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This helped for two years.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">However, since then, we have been burning beetle
killed spruce inside, rather than birch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
creates less ash in the wood stove, which is an advantage, but it produces fewer
BTUs (British Thermal Units) than birch, meaning that the heat per log is not
as high.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Within the past month, we have
had to contend with two times when the smoke in the firebox could not ascend
the stove pipe. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This could be
dangerous. At the end of December, we let the fire go out and then dismantled the
interior chimney tube. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With spoons and
a shop vac, we removed about 2 gallons of ash and creosote and swept the upper
stove pipe, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This week, my husband was dismayed
to discover, during a midnight check on the firebox, that the smoke within was
swirling, not drawing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The temperature
gauge on the pipe 2 feet above the wood stove read a meager 150 degrees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg92384UyKc9JQ05c2AEL81Xg-_DXGmYEpYj__6G3dhK-3xg_csyu9Iy4VzKeMP1oCkH7x6tJtqzCCoUQUgSwUeM-OK8pXvl_I1UrliGAsf5qv9mmDbycZzWK_bnffLJ9iMzQxQe5qiSdH_B6BGcDDxdMTtNP8zbC_unUMr0UYfM3Lud8G6sipiK1U03A/s3264/20230117_112400.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg92384UyKc9JQ05c2AEL81Xg-_DXGmYEpYj__6G3dhK-3xg_csyu9Iy4VzKeMP1oCkH7x6tJtqzCCoUQUgSwUeM-OK8pXvl_I1UrliGAsf5qv9mmDbycZzWK_bnffLJ9iMzQxQe5qiSdH_B6BGcDDxdMTtNP8zbC_unUMr0UYfM3Lud8G6sipiK1U03A/w150-h200/20230117_112400.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creosote clogged cap and mesh,</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> upside down<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Before the cooling smoke could escape into the house (heat
rises, cool air sinks) as happened several years ago, described in a prior February
blog, Bryan donned his parka, hat, gloves, and boots, along with a bright
headlight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He opened the exterior chase
of the stove pipe, quickly inserted the chimney sweep and shoved it so hard up
the chimney that he rammed the rusting metal cap off altogether! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It careened down into the snow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the
time he dismantled his tool and re-entered the cabin, the stove top thermometer
had doubled to 300 degrees when the firewood reignited and burned
brightly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The attached photo shows the gross looking creosote gunk
that coats the mesh, blocking air flow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">From now on, we may get some rain in the chimney, but I will
feel safer all winter, and safer for my husband. I was always nervous when he
climbed that long, steep ladder to stab and cut the chimney top. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">-----------</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">* Our wise friend in Wasilla also gave us the gift of a handheld, battery powered gizmo make by a company called General to measure how dry a log is. You simply stab two metal probes into the wood to get an immediate moisture reading. The closer to zero the better. A reading of 13% is considered medium, not optimal. For this reason, storing firewood under a tarp or roof is obviously better than leaving it outside uncovered. Trying to burn newly cut wood is even more fruitless. Readers: if you pay good money for a cord of wood delivered to your home, ask the vendors to measure its dryness. They know. You may want to spend $20 - 30 for a tool like ours to confirm the wood dryness upon delivery, or before burning some inside. <br /></span></p>
<p></p>Laura Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01340597823610567000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810056512800341999.post-47552613150415361212023-01-11T17:19:00.001-09:002023-09-09T12:54:49.393-08:00Float Plane Pilots are Aging Out<p class="MsoNormal"><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]-->Airplane pilots are aging out, with new pilots below
replacement levels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Management firm
Oliver Wyman estimates a deficit of 8000 commercial pilots now, rising to
30,000 by 2025. </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzHx8vEr_qYM4Ljq8SGWBmCvrJiHzxR1drSUpImcz7I76LsnE9X8jPNomaDkSZLiln9G0QHIxSEWsf4bJSxd0QRU4mmsItZ4IiXSzOEl1ymlzjPonYiy6aYKv_mD3CKfEBaw02jSIcAzz5FkPEPADkwZ_wzuPC0ztZd4iyuBFH6Int7MJToQlbFnBuGA/s1600/DSCN0668.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzHx8vEr_qYM4Ljq8SGWBmCvrJiHzxR1drSUpImcz7I76LsnE9X8jPNomaDkSZLiln9G0QHIxSEWsf4bJSxd0QRU4mmsItZ4IiXSzOEl1ymlzjPonYiy6aYKv_mD3CKfEBaw02jSIcAzz5FkPEPADkwZ_wzuPC0ztZd4iyuBFH6Int7MJToQlbFnBuGA/s320/DSCN0668.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Piper PA 20, view from front porch<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is particularly true for the tiny subset of float plane
pilots, who comprise just 3% of total pilot numbers (including my husband).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 2021 FAA statistics counted 161,459
private pilots, so we can infer fewer than 5000 float plane pilots in the
country. Most of them are in Alaska, which has far more seaplane bases (140) than
any other state in the country (Florida has only 44).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As these flyers retire, Alaska’s iconic form
of transportation is diminishing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Many reasons contribute to the decline in numbers.</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>1. Because so few pilots are licensed to fly float
planes, the pool of insured planes is smaller, resulting in high rates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two years ago, an air taxi pilot told us that
his insurer announced a TRIPLING of his rates for floats, so he cancelled that
summer service altogether.</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
2. </span></span></span>Pilots with planes on floats in summer and skis
in winter have to change out the undercarriage seasonally, an expense that
wheeled planes lack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For our small Piper
PA-20, the cost is $600 to shift from floats to skis plus $50 each spring and
fall to haul the plane in and out of the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The price is surely higher for bigger, heavier planes, even for air
taxis that invested in the expensive equipment to handle these transitions
themselves. </p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
3. </span></span></span>It is much more expensive to learn to fly now
than 30, 40, 50 years ago, regardless of the undercarriage, but most people
start with wheeled planes and then pay for 8 extra training hours to learn water take offs and landing skills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My husband paid about $100/hr twenty years
ago, starting with wheels and then added additional training for floats (and
skis).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The total expense over the years he
estimates at $10,000.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Currently, I see estimates of $20-25,000. </span>People who learned
to fly as cadets or in the military enjoyed a substantial financial savings. </p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> 4.
</span></span></span>Many destinations for float planes are remote
lodges, homes, and natural settings, so they may lack back haul cargo or passengers to
cover the cost of the return.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a
result, float plane expenses for both the owner and the passengers can be
higher than wheeled air taxis, which can have a steadier income flow from one
rural or city airport to another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, if I want to engage an air taxi
at a time of year with few other passengers, I have to charter the whole plane,
essentially paying round trip for my one way flight. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">On such occasions, we pack the plane with supplies that we cannot fit in our little plane, like plywood or 100 lb propane tanks. <br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> 5.
</span></span></span>Because the floats add more weight to a plane
than wheels, a comparably sized wheeled plane can haul more cargo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the other hand, the floats of larger, commercial air taxis have (narrow)
storage space for smelly stuff, like trash, garbage, and fresh animal skins. </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIRgqd8rpUT9YlY58tpyx425YnTos91Fc3-99J1CDyvX00_pnT6HAPF-ClLqogB3dLUuOne6gIyuu7ucsj2l6Ta4xLFFb65pfV02RfQFT5dwic_pBbHb4msjbtK62CGgUY9ajuxZYbYf0ZDUqpu6Pny0RE9g-cz4UtE9spxSgzmZg3EXZPeHJQvS62zw/s8272/CAP-1%20N735EA.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6200" data-original-width="8272" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIRgqd8rpUT9YlY58tpyx425YnTos91Fc3-99J1CDyvX00_pnT6HAPF-ClLqogB3dLUuOne6gIyuu7ucsj2l6Ta4xLFFb65pfV02RfQFT5dwic_pBbHb4msjbtK62CGgUY9ajuxZYbYf0ZDUqpu6Pny0RE9g-cz4UtE9spxSgzmZg3EXZPeHJQvS62zw/s320/CAP-1%20N735EA.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Civil Air Patrol at Lake Hood, Anchorage<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My husband and I live at a remote, fly-in only
location.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even here out in the boonies, we
are aware of the following pilots who have hung up their wings:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In one small, rural community near us (population 2000), one air taxi
owner/pilot got cancer and lost his medical approval to fly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He sold his planes to private pilots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another was appalled to find that his hangar
collapsed from heavy snow, pancaking both of his planes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Well, he observed, philosophically, “More
time with my grandkids.” A third air taxi couple retired, and several years
later, sold their dock and office to an out-of-state pilot who flies in the
summers only and promptly doubled the rates given the dearth of competition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two accomplished pilot friends in their 80’s, one
commercial and one private, may be wondering when their last flight will be, and to whom they can sell their immaculate float planes. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Further north, the FAA grounded a man who trained and
examined a generation of float and ski plane pilots, reducing the paucity of
people qualified to do so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In Anchorage, a flight teacher who used to do touch and go’s
on our lake has retired.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whoever bought
her planes did not buy the business, too. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A phenomenally knowledgeable air taxi pilot in
Anchorage retired to Louisiana, near relatives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A veterinarian who used to fly to remote locations to care for racing
and other dogs sold his plane to a friend of ours when he aged out.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Obviously as people age, they make different decisions about
business or pleasure, based on health and expenses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I can’t help thinking that I am seeing,
if not an end of an era, a dramatic reduction of float plane competent pilots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This saddens me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Float planes can travel where wheeled planes cannot – to
pristine lakes, glacier fed rivers, gorgeous log lodges and modest plywood
cabins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They connect technology with
nature, air with water, noise with silence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They travel where roads and bridges would be prohibitively expensive to
build and maintain, leaving little trace on the landscape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> They require no runway. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I salute all float plane pilots, past and future. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you, as a reader, are not one, I encourage
you to add to your bucket list a flight in a float plane to some lovely
destination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">It will be memorable. </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /></span></p>
<p></p>Laura Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01340597823610567000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810056512800341999.post-69500211575488489492022-12-23T07:43:00.001-09:002023-09-09T12:56:05.884-08:00Warm (Sort of) Below Zero<p class="MsoNormal">The week approaching Winter Solstice has been clear and
cold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today, it is minus 15 degrees
F.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hoar frost (from ice fog) coats the
bottom thirty feet of forest that spikes through 6.5 ft of sugary snow. The
spruce boughs droop white. I see no animal tracks at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone and everything is hunkered down on
these short days of blue light at 9 am and sunset at 3 pm. </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-081KIdI3Bu60q7BHIBH4s73Y35bzIqZsOm8BA8P4H7TUi9SmSwzjKZuOwB3QnDYtETAJWPqcze5ePCrr_dY-vm4svHjlHegSiy47czvdCDnuzu-YkePxK04l6lXEFVtpg6X4782QARmrTeeO85zyiSKPYpwbFXH7R-3aOhJcLsKHQUNYOnLq2YJuIw/s2048/20161231_102839.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-081KIdI3Bu60q7BHIBH4s73Y35bzIqZsOm8BA8P4H7TUi9SmSwzjKZuOwB3QnDYtETAJWPqcze5ePCrr_dY-vm4svHjlHegSiy47czvdCDnuzu-YkePxK04l6lXEFVtpg6X4782QARmrTeeO85zyiSKPYpwbFXH7R-3aOhJcLsKHQUNYOnLq2YJuIw/s320/20161231_102839.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hoar frost coats the branches<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Outdoors, we do our jobs as quickly as thick mittens and
bulky parkas allow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I light the fire
for the hot tub, (yes, we bathe outside at these temperatures), I notice an
inversion layer of cold air that presses the smoke to flow horizontally out of
the chimney. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To the chickens, I carry
warm water and snacks of meat fat or seedy berry pulp. I kick a hole in a
frozen layer of the chicken water, pouring warm water in the allegedly heated
bowl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their coop is insulated, with a
thick carpet of straw, but their body heat and a light bulb are not enough to
keep their eggs from freezing, which I boil and feed back to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Down to about zero, we walk on the frozen lake, playing
fetch with the dog, who skitters and slides on icy patches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Below that temperature, a stroll or a brisk
walk is less appealing to all of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Buddy
lifts alternate back legs off the cold snow, but I have not yet succeeded in
getting him to accept four fabric and Velcro booties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Our machines suffer, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The solar batteries are nowhere near as efficient in winter as summer,
so we awaken to a loss of power every morning (if there is no wind for the wind
turbine).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the cold and dark, Bryan trudges
uphill to the power shed, dragging a sled with the ever-reliable Honda
generator that he warmed in the cabin overnight. Plugged in for about four
hours (one gallon of gas), we eke out another 20 hours of electricity. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Inside the 750 sq ft cabin, the wood stove burns 30-45 logs
per day, 24/7.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 23 gallon aluminum
hot water tank above the stove radiates some heat into the room, but we still need
to wear several layers of clothes inside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The double layered windows need additional insulation, so we hang
blankets over rebar, tucking them behind the drapes during the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, the chilliest corners of the log cabin
measure 29 degrees today. Olive oil has congealed on a shelf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The warmest center of the cabin, though, is a
pleasant 60 - 63.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOAcQ9gUCKWfyBlqwZU6rI3rBFiSNNol_tk0JsJ6X1SkKg_tij96Cbov2ggnp8ABlrxHWe8nU19c6xkqWhUYBjy-f_sd-0C0vghvu95H8s1HfQBuvEss8IBdVuymnvtn3OIoxsT4W5tXSmjS0gxn5D6SLXAfYJVASPg8yvecr6jh6nmIjD0cpkyHxRtA/s2592/20200617_113958.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="1944" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOAcQ9gUCKWfyBlqwZU6rI3rBFiSNNol_tk0JsJ6X1SkKg_tij96Cbov2ggnp8ABlrxHWe8nU19c6xkqWhUYBjy-f_sd-0C0vghvu95H8s1HfQBuvEss8IBdVuymnvtn3OIoxsT4W5tXSmjS0gxn5D6SLXAfYJVASPg8yvecr6jh6nmIjD0cpkyHxRtA/s320/20200617_113958.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summer view of our woodstove<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></div><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The drain under the kitchen sink freezes, so every morning,
we plug in an electric line that dangles inside the pipe to warm it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On exceptionally cold days, when the drain
line requires more power than we want to allocate, I wash dishes in a bucket
and dump the gray water outside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Outside, the well pump can freeze, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>On those days, we bring in buckets of snow to melt for wash water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Challenging though this weather can be, it does offer
compensatory benefits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We save up indoor projects and pleasures for this time of
year. This morning I cuddled in bed with an Agatha Christie novel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Previously, I finished two online courses on
dog training and another on making herbal remedies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Herbal leaves, berries, and flowers that I
harvested and dried during the summer are turned into salves, balms, and
tinctures now. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The chocolate brandy made in prior summers my
husband likes to sip, warm, on cold winter evenings. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I favor mint tea with rosehips. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Some people may get cabin fever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I figure it is my job to make sure that I
don’t.</p>
<p></p>Laura Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01340597823610567000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810056512800341999.post-27358421702084533352022-11-11T14:54:00.003-09:002023-09-09T13:14:30.842-08:00Our Dog Learns to Haul Firewood <p class="MsoNormal"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMszrqkqBJb4a64kkhPfdAt46C35XQU8BcUziNdYv8-b6JmRHLO6DKqxWP6BaeciGAE8DY7bRXn826ZoJuIbGDjlvZz81sTTbDTipDK2R3wgZkxO9bZI7xskwOV8J1YJkkNkhP3cmFHbkxtMqYbYL6m6-drk2CoTJUv1W5l7N2e-Ioxz9IqnHnNa4EKg/s3264/20221110_123008.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMszrqkqBJb4a64kkhPfdAt46C35XQU8BcUziNdYv8-b6JmRHLO6DKqxWP6BaeciGAE8DY7bRXn826ZoJuIbGDjlvZz81sTTbDTipDK2R3wgZkxO9bZI7xskwOV8J1YJkkNkhP3cmFHbkxtMqYbYL6m6-drk2CoTJUv1W5l7N2e-Ioxz9IqnHnNa4EKg/s320/20221110_123008.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Learning to haul firewood</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>On October 25, we awoke to a silent, frozen lake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No water lapping
at the shore, no ducks tempting our dog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ten noisy flocks of geese (50 -100 birds each) flapped southward on that
day alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They knew it was high time to
head out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How far do they fly in a day? Where
do they find water -perhaps rivers - which freeze later?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Given our weather, I was astonished to see a float plane fly north
several days later when I outside was in the wood fired hot tub, and wondered, “Where
the heck is he going?” NORTH????<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It had
to be a river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><p></p><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The day after the lake froze, our chocolate lab, Buddy, ventured down
to the dock and tentatively punctured the thin ice with his paw, to explore
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps he saw his reflection, like
Narcissus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He bent down to sniff the
transparent surface and then lapped up some water from the hole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He repeated this a few feet to the right, as
though to confirm his initial experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Two days later, he trotted out 30 foot ellipses on the
thickening ice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I was a bit nervous that he might break through, but he was fine. </span>His toenails sounded
EXACTLY like a woman in high heels traversing a marble floor!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of a sudden, he spied a coyote along
shore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He tried to run but slipped and
slid like the three stooges, during which time the animal ran off into the
woods. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">During these initial days when the ice thickens, it makes</span> eerie booms, shots,
and groans. The dog is nonplussed by these sounds.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On shore, he trots, leaps and runs through the snow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Early November storms raised the
snow depth to 19 inches (chest high for him, knee high for me) and then deeper and deeper. He plows
through, digging<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>with his whole head thrust
into the snow, after which he shakes his head clear and sneezes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On our walks among our
buildings, Bryan and I point out tracks of hare and voles (meadow mice) which
he explores, squeezing under decks and outbuildings when he smells a critter or two, who remain safely out of reach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJBtLNuQJ_ToJZClGHCtyjh9BvHxLQkk0_vtpexIZuAI-SwX5nksTApkyVhFAxhgpIW38eusrPOCIBRPwcuFyO5m4xrDy7ZTFWr1jfsOtnzK4GJf6URvM_pPMWN5Dt6PG4ldFoAHoosFxtLhJczTNsecqZaXfuly9Ckvg9flarJ_dRoBqwalOSOYUzUw/s3264/20221105_113435.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJBtLNuQJ_ToJZClGHCtyjh9BvHxLQkk0_vtpexIZuAI-SwX5nksTApkyVhFAxhgpIW38eusrPOCIBRPwcuFyO5m4xrDy7ZTFWr1jfsOtnzK4GJf6URvM_pPMWN5Dt6PG4ldFoAHoosFxtLhJczTNsecqZaXfuly9Ckvg9flarJ_dRoBqwalOSOYUzUw/s320/20221105_113435.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Excitedly approaching Bryan<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Given his enjoyment of the cold, his need for exercise, and
his enthusiasm for “helping” us, I trained him to haul sled loads of logs
about 60 feet from the wood corral to the back porch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>First I had to get him familiar with a chest harness, which, of course, he
wanted to chew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, I had to figure
out the length of the sled rope so that when he turned around in curiosity, he
wouldn’t get tangled up and flip the sled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Finally, I had to add enough log weight that the sled would not bang
into his back legs when he stopped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
you may imagine, this required several practice sessions and lots
of peanuts and praise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On our fifth try,
we had a kinda-sorta success, and on our third day, he successfully hauled
(with more enthusiasm and less confusion) three sled loads of 8 or 9 logs each
while I hauled a larger sled ahead of him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> A week later now, he gets excited when we start to load a sled with logs for him. We discovered that he was just as willing to haul without the harness, by simply picking up the rope in his mouth and pulling backwards. After he chewed through the rope several times, we threaded a long wire through two holes in the sled, and attached a smaller rope to that, which the dog puts in his mouth. This worked well. Twice this week, he even hauled a generator downhill with Bryan, from the power shed to the cabin, a 400 ft distance. This enthusiasm will come in handy for these rather tedious winter tasks, especially as we age (ahead of him). <br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>When we cut
trees in
the woods in March, Buddy will help too. After Bryan limbs and bucks the tree into logs, Buddy and I will transport loads in the same
plastic sleds he hauls now. I will load two sleds with logs and our 6 legs will move them from where the tree fell to our
11 foot sled/ snowmachine on a hard packed trail nearby. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I bet he will love to run behind me
as I navigate home to drop thick logs by the wood corral and thin ones by the hot tub.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I look forward to
more inter-species teamwork. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>
</p><p></p><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His outdoor enthusiasm motivates me to enjoy more
aspects of the long winter season, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /></span>
<p></p>Laura Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01340597823610567000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810056512800341999.post-26261811736594898052022-10-14T09:15:00.002-08:002022-10-18T13:23:58.922-08:00How Long Will My Alaskan Harvest Feed Us?<p>For anyone who lives far from a supermarket (whether that is
several hours by car or weeks by ferry, plane, or snowmobile/snowmachine),
surely there are few things more comforting than a full larder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The satisfaction is increased, for me, by seeing
rows and rows of glass mason jars full of food that I have grown or foraged,
and then dried or pressure canned to enjoy for months or even years in the
future.
</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc2lFuFWamVxazsRR1FfpPYe_AidNEHR6vRkq8BbIVxKCgm_bC1SiEuJqpKcAT9xSqsSI_Lqqy2-J0-Iw76-_GhjdkhPgZEeml9XKB4V1FefMYcGByNTAio1LVrIJLpkEpN9zTcI6ghlTHqLpaC0tNiSPkYh5TSZdTCoBZeSHuyYFMqHkSopLPbMP05Q/s3264/20221013_111738.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc2lFuFWamVxazsRR1FfpPYe_AidNEHR6vRkq8BbIVxKCgm_bC1SiEuJqpKcAT9xSqsSI_Lqqy2-J0-Iw76-_GhjdkhPgZEeml9XKB4V1FefMYcGByNTAio1LVrIJLpkEpN9zTcI6ghlTHqLpaC0tNiSPkYh5TSZdTCoBZeSHuyYFMqHkSopLPbMP05Q/w150-h200/20221013_111738.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Potatoes in cold hole<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Tucked in the food
shed and the Arctic entry are 40 jars (quarts and pints) of brassica leaves
(cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower) and turnips, plus the broth resulting from
blanching<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(a quick plunge in boiling
water, followed by cold water, for better preservation).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will open about a quart per week for side
dishes or additions to soups, rice, and stews.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
The tightest heads, about 15, are stored in the refrigerator for crisp salads. I have concluded that I enjoy this texture better than (sorry) wimpy lettuce. </span>With this bounteous harvest of reliable veggies, I am learning lots of
new recipes from Indian and Korean sources, as well as other renditions closer
to home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>British Bubble and Squeak is a
new favorite, in both name and flavor/texture.<p></p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Other shelves are loaded with 60 jars of rhubarb,
raspberries and cranberry and currant juice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We drink the juice throughout the year, and mix them and the berries into
sweet and savory sauces, like BBQ sauce, vinagrettes, fruit salads, chutneys, and
desserts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These plants yield enough for
more than a year’s consumption, plus extras for gifts.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Of herbs, cilantro and nasturtiums always do well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We consume the seeds as well as the leaves. Dill,
fennel, chives, rosehips, and garlic all produced less than last year and will
not last through the winter. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I dried
quarts of fireweed, sweet gale, yarrow, and berry leaves, as well as a year’s
worth of mint, for teas, remedies and cooking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgorbPj1-G52DfynO3O8pyczhw9B7f0vyDoyh08dSWeWqZAm25aAeUiwfWSrfD3DaD7W8Bvk2tECEFe4gVtrohNBqEN1upiRaYmPQvUS_mRyfc7T12R53dN7MivfmxfM5H-JhNHxXm_li4EKMli5Bbl8GQ3vPHVSHPFMp-vHrBxkrA7rO_KAfzyj7O2Og/s3264/20221013_111604.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgorbPj1-G52DfynO3O8pyczhw9B7f0vyDoyh08dSWeWqZAm25aAeUiwfWSrfD3DaD7W8Bvk2tECEFe4gVtrohNBqEN1upiRaYmPQvUS_mRyfc7T12R53dN7MivfmxfM5H-JhNHxXm_li4EKMli5Bbl8GQ3vPHVSHPFMp-vHrBxkrA7rO_KAfzyj7O2Og/w200-h150/20221013_111604.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One section of the food shed<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the freezer, I squeezed in several gallon bags of blanched
veggies, predominantly cauliflower, carrots (mostly for winter carrot cake) and celery, as well as wild lamb`s quarter,
mint, and chives.</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.5in;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>Indoors, I have
glassed about 150 eggs (about 4.5 gallons) in a pickling lime solution, which
will store at room temperature for upwards of 9 months, as I have discovered
from several years of doing so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I rely
on glassed eggs in late autumn through winter, when the hens molt (shed their
feathers), and, in response to low light levels and temperature, lay fewer
eggs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If/when we run low, toward the end
of winter, we do have powdered eggs, which I relegate to baked goods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also have 3 gallons of tomatoes plucked
from the greenhouse, ripening in covered bowls with a banana for extra ethylene
(for ripening).</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the cold hole are 50 potatoes – half of last year`s
harvest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still, if I cook 2-3 potatoes
per week, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>this number will last us
through March, when we get resupplied by snowmachine haulers. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the oddly hot spring and rainy late summer, some fruits
and veggies produced enough to enjoy fresh during the summer, but not enough to
store long term.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This includes several
squash varieties, including cucumber.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
have never yet nurtured a decent pepper harvest, though they are my
favorite vegetable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The weather was particularly
ill-suited to spinach, peas, and beans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Haskap bushes flowered very early in the sun (while standing in snow),
resulting in few berries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not even the
birds were interested. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only 3 apples
from one young tree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still no cherries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGgJK9QSZdgl6st4BDHTDLFnU32LfxYxun1bH9H-EhcVJWrdXPIWA6UB0qnpyGFigUswEOtHltw7o3NFQZEnb0-mimgQrvpu4gHi6Pqy4cVH9F1nEkNOArOOJwNSf-l2_HQP-JQM6RBSXHrQOE5XRCMFY_hZDtlzynF_69pWJnckczaM2GM9fmy3V2AA/s3264/20221011_134840.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGgJK9QSZdgl6st4BDHTDLFnU32LfxYxun1bH9H-EhcVJWrdXPIWA6UB0qnpyGFigUswEOtHltw7o3NFQZEnb0-mimgQrvpu4gHi6Pqy4cVH9F1nEkNOArOOJwNSf-l2_HQP-JQM6RBSXHrQOE5XRCMFY_hZDtlzynF_69pWJnckczaM2GM9fmy3V2AA/w200-h150/20221011_134840.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kitchen shelves. Spruce log walls.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We feared a low honey harvest (since the insects do not like
to fly in rain), but they produced a very respectable 15 gallons of golden
nectar from 4 hives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thankfully, none of
them swarmed or absconded during the heat wave of 80+ degree temps in early
June (because their population was still low at that date).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am not averse to sugar, but as beekeepers,
we have bought none for years and use honey in all recipes that require
sweetening, including baked goods and a quart per 6 gallons of homemade beer (so that libation is technically a
braggot). This year`s harvest will last more than a year.<br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sadly, we took no bear or moose this year, so our meat
expenses are the same as anyone else`s. With inflation - Yikes! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, with the bones and fat of every ham
or chicken I buy, I make tasty broth for flavoring rice, beans, soups, and
other dishes, and snacks for the carnivorous hens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pike in our lake have cannibalized each
other so we caught none of edible size this summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
took a break from raising meat rabbits for two years and consumed our last
quart as rabbit mole over pasta last month. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Today is October 11.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Snow fell on the <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>4,600 ft mountains
near us last week, and this morning we see Termination Dust on the <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>closest mountain of 2600 ft .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The temperature dipped to 35, leaving frost
on the brown, crispy ferns and green grass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ten noisy flocks of geese winged their way south throughout the day. So yesterday was likely the last salad I could gather directly from the
gardens, as many leaves wilt in the cold, although celery, cabbage, and the leaves of root vegetables (radish, carrots) are sturdy enough to linger after a few frosts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The hardy, late season greens that fed us included mustard,
nasturtium, and lettuce leaves, topped with blue borage flowers (taste like
cucumber) and orange nasturtium flowers (taste like horseradish).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I added the sole cucumber that grew, plus
several of the smallest tomatoes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I served
it with a honey mustard dressing with currant juice, topped with croutons from
a bread I made earlier in the week and little hard boiled eggs from our
smallest hen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A pretty and tasty dish. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Hardy mint remains harvestable… for a few days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I gathered a huge pile and will blanch it
this afternoon so that we can enjoy a favorite condiment – a hot Indian chutney
– through some of the winter months. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I will miss many of these fresh flavors during the winter,
but our seasonal distinctions encourage me to savor every last bite in autumn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Then, </span>I look forward to cozy soups and stews for winter, such as vegetarian African peanut soup (with sweet potatoes or winter squash), split pea soup
with ham (secret ingredient: dried orange rind), potato soup with all the
ingredients one associates with loaded baked potatoes, and whatever creative concoctions
bubble up on future chilly days. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p></p>Laura Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01340597823610567000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810056512800341999.post-13725012274603101922022-10-13T09:03:00.001-08:002022-10-17T15:27:37.451-08:00Podcast - Houston Investor Works Off-Grid in Alaska<p> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size: 12pt;">Capitalism,
Environmental, and Social Governance don’t always quite fit well together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bryan Emerson has found a way to do
both.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He and his wife Laura gave up the
hustle and bustle of city life to go off the grid deep in the forests of
Alaska, an area so remote it can only be accessed by seaplane.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size: 12pt;">As an angel
investor and investment banker since 2000 and serial entrepreneur since the
1970s, Bryan Emerson has developed a network of over 46,000 investors,
entrepreneurs, and business professionals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Most are fellow finance professionals who run venture funds, private
equity funds, investment banks, and family offices and who, as individuals,
enjoy investing personal money in angel rounds of promising companies too small
for their corporate funding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size: 12pt;">Bryan’s investor
network can be accessed at <a href="http://www.starlightcapital.co">www.starlightcapital.co</a>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: times;">Podcast and original posting: <span lang="EN-IN"><a href="https://missionmatters.com/emersons-go-off-the-grid/" target="_blank">https://missionmatters.com/emersons-go-off-the-grid/<span style="color: blue;"><br />
</span></a></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: times;">Apple:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span lang="EN-IN"><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/emersons-go-off-the-grid/id1631183772?i=1000582392119" target="_blank">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/emersons-go-off-the-grid/id1631183772?i=1000582392119<span style="color: blue;"><br />
<br />
</span></a></span>Spotify:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span lang="EN-IN"><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/5lXukvD59mPf52YQASOa9N" target="_blank">https://open.spotify.com/episode/5lXukvD59mPf52YQASOa9N</a></span></span></p>
<p></p>Laura Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01340597823610567000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810056512800341999.post-55356097388513842582022-10-01T11:45:00.005-08:002022-11-11T14:56:10.344-09:00How to: Homemade Dog Treats, Toys, and Shampoo<p class="MsoNormal">When we adopted a one year old chocolate lab in early
summer, both animal shelters that we visited told us that they were so full
that they could not accept another animal until adoptions clear space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I read that this is true across the
country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Part of the reason is that so
many people adopted pets when they were isolated by municipal Covid measures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later, some people had to go back to work,
leaving an anxious dog alone to tear up the house or yard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another reason may be that the rapid rise of
inflation has increased the costs of both human and pet supplies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> So Fido is returned.<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB7RJBb1RRd8P00QLIj6KcwJLQjGA0W8BH-NjBuLhGSQr4atYvFGNZ-OaSaTyFAapRLcbu0Id1G2svK0jDD2_E-4WioHyMU7pTKM-zBwmMT6xBOhI7q_DEC426DZ5ydEzGjIxk30Ov23yc2NGgdThNTR--YGJb5n_YRtoikxYeRzGXg1rsVniGYE3T-g/s3264/BandBporch.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB7RJBb1RRd8P00QLIj6KcwJLQjGA0W8BH-NjBuLhGSQr4atYvFGNZ-OaSaTyFAapRLcbu0Id1G2svK0jDD2_E-4WioHyMU7pTKM-zBwmMT6xBOhI7q_DEC426DZ5ydEzGjIxk30Ov23yc2NGgdThNTR--YGJb5n_YRtoikxYeRzGXg1rsVniGYE3T-g/w150-h200/BandBporch.jpg" width="150" /></a></span></div><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One amelioration of the latter issue is that many foods,
hygiene supplies, and toys can be made, cheaply, quickly, and easily, from
scratch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Below are a few that I make for
our dog, Buddy.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">DOG TREATS</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Dogs go through packages of dog treats fast, and they can be
pricey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But they are SO EASY to whip up
at home from common ingredients and MANY websites offer great recipes. Just
search for home made dog treats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have
made several dog treats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The simplest
is:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">2 cups flour (any kind)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">½ cup peanut butter</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Enough hot water to make a firm dough</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZks5NojnUcpAiOtspRwVqILosey-NdhodF-cMgWQfABThpUmA-4ge366IFp9qDMQz53MgXEGbUSdWDbR_88K3sD0jOeEl73z6oD8JRWPQxeIVhW89Rj6naKln1pUgicLSQP7DxHSAxQjiEJwGSAQNn3UHSuTPcmZGla9u7ClW6c9ztdxvUYtgTJ8UCA/s3264/dog%20biscuits.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZks5NojnUcpAiOtspRwVqILosey-NdhodF-cMgWQfABThpUmA-4ge366IFp9qDMQz53MgXEGbUSdWDbR_88K3sD0jOeEl73z6oD8JRWPQxeIVhW89Rj6naKln1pUgicLSQP7DxHSAxQjiEJwGSAQNn3UHSuTPcmZGla9u7ClW6c9ztdxvUYtgTJ8UCA/w150-h200/dog%20biscuits.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Knead, flatten, and cut into preferred shapes and
sizes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Cook at 350 degrees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The duration depends on the thickness of your biscuits and how hard and
shelf stable you want them to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For
example, ones that are ½ inch thick and cooked for 20 minutes will have a
brownie-like texture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thinner and 45
minutes yields a harder product. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I vary the recipe by adding salmon oil, oatmeal, pumpkin
puree, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>chopped dates, toasted barley.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The latter three provide fiber/roughage.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One great idea (again, for roughage) is to slowly dry (in an
oven or dehydrator) a sweet potato or yam that has been cut into thin
rings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the tuber is leathery hard,
string it on a leather strand, like a necklace, for the dog to chew. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">DOG SHAMPOO</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The dog shampoo I make is very similar to the people shampoo
that I also make, with castile soap, water, a bit of vinegar and a drop or two
of essential oil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do not use nearly as
much of the last ingredient for the dog as I do for us, since his nose is so
much more sensitive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After I brush him,
I dip a cloth into the shampoo and rub it into his hair, with special attention
to the insides of his back legs, that can have been splashed with urine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have read that once a month is about the
right frequency. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">DOG TOOTHPASTE</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp27Fsk-ritw-t80L8CWxM_PP26lGzploR9_zBqD2OoR5rOF5nMAPqhh-edZhQrJK-ySOEV5baZT93zT5VGzi-Dsb80Pid0KjzAPHTg14WXUkja2F4HGd-G7HqRsbedcXJH5OnH4krh7ZUS3lvZe2zhFHNV_kxArct66dLaJa5yCBKrMn54pnwW3bing/s3264/Bladder.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp27Fsk-ritw-t80L8CWxM_PP26lGzploR9_zBqD2OoR5rOF5nMAPqhh-edZhQrJK-ySOEV5baZT93zT5VGzi-Dsb80Pid0KjzAPHTg14WXUkja2F4HGd-G7HqRsbedcXJH5OnH4krh7ZUS3lvZe2zhFHNV_kxArct66dLaJa5yCBKrMn54pnwW3bing/w150-h200/Bladder.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My son kindly sent me some purchased dog toothpaste and
several plastic finger “brushes.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My dog
enjoys the almost daily ritual when I rub the nubby finger over his teeth and
gums. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I finish this tube, I will
make my own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of the internet sources I
have read, I have found that some ingredients used by people (including us)
like baking powder and hydrogen peroxide are NOT appropriate for dogs since
they do not spit out the residue as we do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Coconut oil (which we use for oil pulling) IS OK for dogs, as are aloe
vera and olive oil as bases.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Look up
homemade dog toothpaste.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">DOG TOYS</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Our 5 acre woodsy property on a lake offer a variety of
outdoor entertainments for a dog who likes to </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIrnGi_H70KYXyh6K2BFCEIGsPdeTGNpt_WaLFZyaJE7ghm4gqlBXtrri1k6aXtHkUp9bHiX_qKmusHgUqd-Qxq1luiOQ-wSbnZsWuyWee7bwBmMbK4jpZ-566S4yvTt2mOwm-wBY0-f6NwDqI2491O7XngW0dfp4wjUuYIa-VZK0BRgC6HnNO4X0nFg/s3264/BWINDOW.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIrnGi_H70KYXyh6K2BFCEIGsPdeTGNpt_WaLFZyaJE7ghm4gqlBXtrri1k6aXtHkUp9bHiX_qKmusHgUqd-Qxq1luiOQ-wSbnZsWuyWee7bwBmMbK4jpZ-566S4yvTt2mOwm-wBY0-f6NwDqI2491O7XngW0dfp4wjUuYIa-VZK0BRgC6HnNO4X0nFg/w150-h200/BWINDOW.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><br />run, grab sticks, and play in the
water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But how will be entertain him
during our long Alaska winters, particularly during snow and rain storms and
deep cold when we are not too enthusiastic about spending much time outside? <p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">All dog owners know how fast their pets can tear through
purchased toys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even Kong toys, which cost
$15 + and are marketed as tough and long lasting, remained intact for less than
a day with Buddy, although the sad remnants remained play worthy, longer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The internet offers lots of creative ideas for homemade toys.
I have tried several to good effect and concocted some others:</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>I save food grade plastic containers, like
peanut butter and popcorn jars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First he
rolls and sniffs, licks, plays with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Once he crunches the side of the container into an hourglass shape, I
shove a dog treat into the lower portion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He enjoys the mental stimulation of figuring out how to get to the treat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>I tie string, rope, or paracord from the spiral
staircase, looped through a dead tennis ball, rubber toys, or a pierced plastic
jar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The thinner strings he breaks and
then plays with that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The paracord lasts
longest before he bites through it to release the toy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Cardboard toilet paper rolls or small cardboard
containers taped shut with a treat inside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At first he played very gently with these, but now they last about a
minute.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still, sometimes that is all the
distraction one needs to redirect behavior. </p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Three rags or old socks wrapped around dog treats
or peanuts and then tied, one inside another, entertain him for about 20 minutes.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>We bought bags of golf balls, tennis balls, and
what look like croquet balls at thrift shops for very little money. Buddy
strips the shell off the golf ball in an hour, shreds the tennis ball in two
hours, and peels the skin off a baseball in about two hours, after which he
unravels the tightly wrapped yarn over several days. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Of course he loves sticks and slim logs and we
have lots of those.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I think I derive as much enjoyment from creating these
supplies as he does from utilizing them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></p>
<p></p>Laura Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01340597823610567000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810056512800341999.post-64839083922833260192022-07-27T14:22:00.024-08:002022-07-27T14:22:00.194-08:00How to Pressure Can Foods for Long Term Storage<p></p><p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>HISTORY</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">(The historical information is adapted from <a href="http://www.thecharmedkitchen.com">www.thecharmedkitchen.com</a>) </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The first known pressure cooker was invented in 1679,
believe it or not, by Denis Papin, a French physicist and mathematician. His
invention was a large cast iron pot with a lockable lid that raised the boiling
point of water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At this higher temperature,
bones softened and meat cooked in quick time. It was promoted as a “digester”
because it cooked food so quickly. Sadly, it was difficult to control the
pressure and explosions were common. Eventually he added a valve to release
extra pressure.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaY0qvRYiESrIf2SM5fGZAknQL_oqlBY1Fid-rYyBxU3R6OeV95rbbv-_s_v6P1oYpHax74sg22tT6haqpPwzUSPdSXUouV-qyaqGtWgexTk_Jyfi-6ULmUXtYi_0P3f7Je_HagVrTU-EWJcwrriHsMTelJxO6-g2GKZ1nlJL_SOMnbkIPBg7nCjWocA/s3264/masonjars220719_081858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaY0qvRYiESrIf2SM5fGZAknQL_oqlBY1Fid-rYyBxU3R6OeV95rbbv-_s_v6P1oYpHax74sg22tT6haqpPwzUSPdSXUouV-qyaqGtWgexTk_Jyfi-6ULmUXtYi_0P3f7Je_HagVrTU-EWJcwrriHsMTelJxO6-g2GKZ1nlJL_SOMnbkIPBg7nCjWocA/s320/masonjars220719_081858.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In 1795, Napoleon Bonaparte offered a reward for whomever
could develop a safe, reliable food preservation method for his constantly
traveling army. Nicholas Appert took on the challenge, and about 15 years later
introduced a method that involved heat-processing food in glass jars reinforced
with wire and sealed with wax.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The next breakthrough with tin cans occurred in or around 1810. Englishman Peter Durand sealed
food in “unbreakable” tin cans… but the can opener was not invented until 48
years later! Before that cans were opened with hammer and chisels! The first
commercial canning establishment in the U.S. was started in 1912 by Thomas
Kensett.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It wasn’t until Louis Pasteur was able to
demonstrate how the growth of microorganisms causes food to spoil that people understood WHY canning methods preserved edible food.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">At the time of the U.S. Civil War glass food preservation
jars with metal clamps and replaceable rubber rings had been invented. These
jars are still available today, although they are no longer recommended for
canning, just for storing dry goods.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In 1858, John Mason invented a glass jar with a screw-on
thread molded into its top, and a lid with a rubber seal. Most canning jars are
still referred to as Mason jars.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Meanwhile in the late 1800’s, William Charles Ball and his
brothers got into the food preservation jar business and began buying up
smaller companies. They quickly became leaders in the industry. Ball jars are
today one of the most widely used jars for canning (and their cookbooks are wonderful
– LE).</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>HOW TO</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I regard pressure canning as an essential skill for anyone
wanting to increase self-sufficiency and resilience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Power outage from a tornado, hurricane, flood?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A huge harvest from the garden, hunting, or
fishing? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can’t get to a supermarket
during a week-long blizzard or after surgery?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Enjoy the convenience of meat, cheese, vegetables and fruits you pressure
canned in advance!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFNp7loa2neSlRALoc2q0F24_a8xVtK2_a-5srQquWUZ3g50kJnSXl0OO4pXDgz8SQxW7ueOO3Bm_mWheyapdKCpRC9oDzCEO2rj8-y2j_bWP9J52DASk3sLy0JLRPWm3hJM8Juyzt0eBq1SEvpCJMCIR3RtLTExeWMsXGDv1RyCa62JXODw7vlCzFGw/s3264/cut%20cabg20220718_103427.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFNp7loa2neSlRALoc2q0F24_a8xVtK2_a-5srQquWUZ3g50kJnSXl0OO4pXDgz8SQxW7ueOO3Bm_mWheyapdKCpRC9oDzCEO2rj8-y2j_bWP9J52DASk3sLy0JLRPWm3hJM8Juyzt0eBq1SEvpCJMCIR3RtLTExeWMsXGDv1RyCa62JXODw7vlCzFGw/s320/cut%20cabg20220718_103427.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If someone has never seen the equipment, it may be hard to
imagine how this works, especially since the process requires some specialized
equipment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For one thing, as conveyed above, you do not use cans!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>???<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The containers are tempered glass mason jars with metal, two part lids –
a flat disk and a round lipped sleeve that fits over the disk and screws around
the top of the jar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pressure canner
is a specialty kitchen item, not a normal pot. It is super heavy duty steel,
designed with a unique lid. The top locks in place with six screwable locks and
three L shaped brackets and has a steam valve like a mini chimney that you top with
a round, metal regulator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Covering the
steam vent with the regulator enables the temperature within to rise and remain
above the boiling point (usually 240 degrees for my canning), thus killing most
bacteria over the designated duration of cooking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We bought the All American brand for about
$275 in a size that fits 7 quart jars at a time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After processing, the cook lets the hot water and steam
pressure cool before lifting the lid to pull the jars out of the hot water bath
and set them on an appropriate surface to cool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The temperature difference between the interior and exterior of the jars
causes pressure by which the disk tops suck inward (concave), thus creating an
air tight seal to protect the food within.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When you want to consume the food, months or years later, you break the
seal with a gentle twisting movement on the edge of the disk, with a fork or
other utensil.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>EXAMPLE</b> of METHOD and TIMING</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This week, I canned 21 jars of brassica (cabbage, broccoli,
and cauliflower) leaves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> 1.
</span></span></span>First I assemble the equipment in the
kitchen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I fill the pressure canner with
water high enough to fill and barely top 7 quart jars (they are about 8 inches
tall).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I lay the disk lids on top of the
jars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the water heats, it cleans the
containers and tempers the glass for the boiling temperatures ahead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On another burner, I heat water in a large
pot to blanch the leaves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Blanching is
quickly boiling the vegetables to turn bright green, then plunging them in a
nearby large bowl of cold water to stop the cooking.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the counter, I place a big bowl full of
cold water, a smaller empty bowl, a sharp knife, long tongs, a soup ladle, a
sieve, and a special canning tool that looks like short tongs but with a
circular clamp, to lift the round jars in and out of the hot water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjlzuJfOFzzJs8zErrgjpHXLa5YfUD2g-waj7j0HJ4MROhU-aEulhiD1LLCWF7qhCk3irWS03Kr2ytnbNxUXQykVOq5-9KPKEyWXJR82DfjSnQuclUwkLA6YtyqOSJwJFVS4gx961N-j9job2Z1rKGnYveigsO6N94rnfeSBTtzQ0HXrP-y2PtXmskEw/s3264/pressure%20cooker20220711_111125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjlzuJfOFzzJs8zErrgjpHXLa5YfUD2g-waj7j0HJ4MROhU-aEulhiD1LLCWF7qhCk3irWS03Kr2ytnbNxUXQykVOq5-9KPKEyWXJR82DfjSnQuclUwkLA6YtyqOSJwJFVS4gx961N-j9job2Z1rKGnYveigsO6N94rnfeSBTtzQ0HXrP-y2PtXmskEw/s320/pressure%20cooker20220711_111125.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> 2. </span></span></span>Then I go
out to the gardens to harvest enough leaves to fill 7 + quarts (about 15 leaves
per jar or about 100 leaves total).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
pleasant task takes me about 30 minutes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> 3.
</span></span></span>Upon returning, my prep works takes about an
hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I fill one sink full of cool
water, rinse the leaves in the other and then lay them in the bath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I gather 8 leaves, roll them up like a green
log, cut crosswise into sushi sized pieces, and then long wise, resulting in
rectangular confetti of leaves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any long
or thick stems or spines, I snap off and drop in the empty bowl. Every time I
amass 24 or 32 leaves, I blanch them for maybe 10 – 20 seconds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I fish the leaves out with the sieve and
dump them into the pot of cool water to stop the cooking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> 4.
</span></span></span>During the next set of 24 – 32 leaves I chop, I
blanch the stems and spines, which, being thicker, take more time – often a
minute. </p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> 5.
</span></span></span>Some people flavor the vegetables with herbs,
onions, etc at this point, but I prefer to store mine plain, so I can be more
spontaneous when I eventually prepare meals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pull out a hot jar from the
pot, empty the water, and with the long tongs, fill the jar with the blanched
and cooled leaves or stems, pressing down occasionally to fit more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I ladle hot blanch water over the
leaves, poking with the tongs to open up any air pockets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every canned food recipe has a suggested airspace
at the top, such as half an inch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I
have left overfilled jars in an unheated outbuilding in winter, the liquid
expanded and cracked the jars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I carefully
assess the space at the top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wipe the
top edge of the jar with a clean towel and then place the lid and ring on,
finger tight, not tighter, for reasons that relate to the cooking process and
subsequent self-sealing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>The science and safety of canning, as well as
recipes, are well explained in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bell’s Book
of Canning</b>, which is sort of the “Bible” of canning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> 6.
</span></span></span>When all 7 jars are immersed in the simmering
water bath, with about 1 inch of water covering the lids, I lock on the lid,
crank up the heat, and watch until steam vents out of the top for several
minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I place the regulator on
top and set the timer.</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Acidic foods, like berries, tomatoes, and citrus
are processed very quickly (15 -20 minutes for quart jars).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Non-acidic foods, like meats, tubers, and
other fruits and vegetables take MUCH longer, such as 90 minutes for quart jars
of leafy greens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>7. It also takes another 60 – 90 minutes for the
water and steam in the pot to cool down enough to remove the regulator and then
the lid. So when I can vegetables or bear meat, I can only process two batches
in a day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During berry harvesting
season, I can process more sets… if I want to spend all day at it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Otherwise, I pop the berries in gallon bags
in the freezer to deal with during inclement weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">8.
</span></span></span>I place the hot jars on the stone surface that surrounds
our wood stove.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can see the liquid
still bubbling/boiling through the glass. I leave them there overnight, hearing
“pings” when internal pressure seals the jars when the lids go concave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">9.
</span></span></span>The next morning, I test each jar’s seal by
poking the lids gently with a finger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Those that sealed are firm and do not lift free of the jar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those that did not seal for some reason (like
a bit of food on the lip of the jar, or a dented lid) wiggle and lift easily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sealed ones go on the pantry shelf,
labelled with contents and date.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
unsealed ones go in the freezer or refrigerator to consume sooner or to can
again with a different lid.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">During the summer, of course, we gather fresh vegetables for
salads and side dishes each day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But since
brassicas grow so easily here, our winter rice, stews, stir fries, and other
dishes often feature a hefty portion of brassica leaves for color, nutrients,
and roughage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We generally open one
quart per week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the end of summer, I
will have canned more than 100 jars of summer fruits and vegetables (and
hopefully, bear meat) to enjoy through the winter and into next year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Yes, this takes a long time, especially if a reader is able
to order foods on line, delivered to the door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>On the other hand, I enjoy a sense of pride in each mouthful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I not only grew this food from tiny seeds, I
also preserved it for my family’s consumption in a tasty dish. </p>
<p></p>Laura Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01340597823610567000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810056512800341999.post-69531530054900550452022-07-05T10:41:00.048-08:002022-10-06T09:04:02.619-08:00Dry Summer Food Production in Alaska: Good for veggies, bad for berries<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]--> W<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IN;">et and dry summers
have inverse impacts on our vegetable and berry harvests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Past experience reinforces the importance of
planting/harvesting/storing more than we can eat in a single year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IN;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg26xSOxX_wib6NIxwIm7yn0hAYSXzzcUkS3MPmIa7Dj0FvHuFWt1GRX-NpmNm_iW7qBKv9Md_xNJbj6wBxvkZXXbPJcAZlSM_Xmu_NCXu30JU9ADcz9DJWpiuhMsIKq5AB_Yziaawhp9EjKZBo2CXHtK83P-gzyfY3dbaLylicpmQLMibdLSezbKKmsA/s3264/20220704_121501.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg26xSOxX_wib6NIxwIm7yn0hAYSXzzcUkS3MPmIa7Dj0FvHuFWt1GRX-NpmNm_iW7qBKv9Md_xNJbj6wBxvkZXXbPJcAZlSM_Xmu_NCXu30JU9ADcz9DJWpiuhMsIKq5AB_Yziaawhp9EjKZBo2CXHtK83P-gzyfY3dbaLylicpmQLMibdLSezbKKmsA/s320/20220704_121501.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></span></div><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IN;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IN;">Last year was so rainy
that our berry harvests (all types) were HUGE, in both fruit size and quantity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We gathered close to six gallons of
raspberries, alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, slugs
liked the wet conditions, too. They invaded the vegetable gardens, chewed leaves to lace and invaded every nook and
cranny of broccoli and cauliflower heads.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>GROSS! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Root crops and greenhouse
plants were spared, but all the time and effort to seed, transplant, and care
for scores of leafy veggies … yielded a few measly winter weeks of those vegetable
dishes.</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IN;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IN;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IN;">This hot, dry summer
is very different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some veggies and
herbs bolted (flowered) early, after which they degrade, but others look hale
and hardy, especially old reliables like potatoes and brassicas (cabbage,
etc).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> On the other hand,, the brassica buttoned, which I had never even heard of, which is when they fail to set heads,, or grow only tiny ones. so I am harvesting the leaves to can for winter or summer side dishes.</span></span></p><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IN;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IN;">Every afternoon, I gather leaves
and flowers for the evening salad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
last two weeks featured leaves of beets,
lettuce, carrots, chives, turnips, radish, and mustard, and the pretty, pink,
yellow, and white flowers of the last four. I make a tasty dip with carrot greens, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic0l671knm-i8sn01G1HzOfKXbBi-BhGqN_6ci94UQ9M4-tr-nfcMy2-ODg46z6kJspKye--l_VD5AuM25Yh9xDurv5T2Ck3hokDzZ-M6-mAfVwqs7gbtBAft1HGnlJJG369y9RrPGv3b-VmqcpTb1HEsLOFo66QBjTOCzCYEruXv4JM45pAdZuQfDoQ/s3264/20220704_121405.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic0l671knm-i8sn01G1HzOfKXbBi-BhGqN_6ci94UQ9M4-tr-nfcMy2-ODg46z6kJspKye--l_VD5AuM25Yh9xDurv5T2Ck3hokDzZ-M6-mAfVwqs7gbtBAft1HGnlJJG369y9RrPGv3b-VmqcpTb1HEsLOFo66QBjTOCzCYEruXv4JM45pAdZuQfDoQ/s320/20220704_121405.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Unfortunately,<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IN;"> the
berry production in this weather is PUNY, in both size and number. Last year, high bush cranberries
numbered 15 – 25 on a strand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
year:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>3 – 5 tiny hard ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Prior years we had to net our six haskap
bushes to deter birds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year, they
barely visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Similar reductions are
clear in currants, gooseberries, and haskaps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Only the saskatoons and raspberries seem to have the same number of
berries, but they will likely be smaller fruit.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeSbY8R6mMfAKwgBiEHxNTio8UdtMr1ODLkvGfAeVDpKdoTYmaNe9yRSu_lh2vLz_pFD200oatpKPkes1DCDBXtXIuSD_HikU8FNymNIhYUA2vekNBJoNUhLd9AdZ7JZAjXTSrgC1yfRWZJhzLcBs722-VsTLrIar3oO2xGyPCqTcGQpo0KVizwubRNQ/s3264/20220704_121112.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeSbY8R6mMfAKwgBiEHxNTio8UdtMr1ODLkvGfAeVDpKdoTYmaNe9yRSu_lh2vLz_pFD200oatpKPkes1DCDBXtXIuSD_HikU8FNymNIhYUA2vekNBJoNUhLd9AdZ7JZAjXTSrgC1yfRWZJhzLcBs722-VsTLrIar3oO2xGyPCqTcGQpo0KVizwubRNQ/s320/20220704_121112.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IN;">Winter weather affects
food production, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two perennials,
lovage (tastes like celery) and sorrel (a citrusy leafy green) did not
overwinter, to my dismay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had been
so robust for several years that I did not seed any others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I miss them both and will have to start over
next year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps it was the very cold
temperatures in November with no insulating snow cover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the heavy mulching of those gardens with
birch leaves was apparently inadequate.</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IN;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IN;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC6aHoRF1BARyB-t3mss1g_iaO4QFAVh79j4iW9DWlrV5fJAShJftsrv6UABXiepHNbmcDQu2SBoKhxVFd7VAuRxVvQlbneGfy7338tp_vl5J7iL35IGlVC2qciRgXNIgyWuAIG2iW7Y2JwNfr9huFxDIH_cdV-fKPBhrIxfUylAdXuR43FAbCUEophw/s3264/20220704_120840.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC6aHoRF1BARyB-t3mss1g_iaO4QFAVh79j4iW9DWlrV5fJAShJftsrv6UABXiepHNbmcDQu2SBoKhxVFd7VAuRxVvQlbneGfy7338tp_vl5J7iL35IGlVC2qciRgXNIgyWuAIG2iW7Y2JwNfr9huFxDIH_cdV-fKPBhrIxfUylAdXuR43FAbCUEophw/s320/20220704_120840.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IN;">One edible weed I like
so much that I actually let it proliferate in my raised bed gardens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is called lamb’s quarter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This plant favors disturbed soil, like
gardens a⅝nd roadsides.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I use it, raw or
cooked, in the same way I prepare spinach – in dips, salads, and sautéed
dishes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lamb’s quarter leaves and very
young stalks have a gentle, almost nutty flavor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For tonight, I made a dip with mayo, sour
cream, garlic, parmesan, and the leaves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Earlier
in the week, I added the plants to a stir fry with rice noodles and
chicken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last week I sautéed the greens
with garlic, lemon, and butter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IN;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyone living in a remote location or
otherwise seeking to increase self-sufficiency is wise to learn how to
identify, harvest, and utilize wild, edible plants. Where I live, I do not have to worry about pesticides or pollution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I harvest a number of other wild plants too,
for food and teas, but I don’t let fireweed, dandelions, or ferns grow in the
gardens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdzpqsvfmrdHjdVqmwwZ-74CBqnvhHumGXlw0qhHDPlI8Re18QEVFz92y2804zyqHojUYbhkbrEx-g3SuGS9CJwSVYtzdIoW3P3vHiGY9FG8_XHKujK_IsvOk-n05Lhr3GjCXRBPl5W0om06odNrR2pPe_Q3BQmyRy9JO59LSsP5_kiXIM5-TkrQGl1w/s3264/20220704_104334.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdzpqsvfmrdHjdVqmwwZ-74CBqnvhHumGXlw0qhHDPlI8Re18QEVFz92y2804zyqHojUYbhkbrEx-g3SuGS9CJwSVYtzdIoW3P3vHiGY9FG8_XHKujK_IsvOk-n05Lhr3GjCXRBPl5W0om06odNrR2pPe_Q3BQmyRy9JO59LSsP5_kiXIM5-TkrQGl1w/s320/20220704_104334.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">The convenience of a supermarket is marvelous in its selection and logistics, but I have learned to expand my varieties of food modestly, through growing and foraging.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IN;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p></p>Laura Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01340597823610567000noreply@blogger.com1