After hours spent working on the necessities of shelter, fire, food and water (we made water purification systems with plastic bottles, grass, gravel, sand, and charcoal), it was time to break for the night. Several of us took this opportunity to strip off some of the layers of dirty, sweaty clothing we had worn all… Continue reading A dirty tale of a dirty weekend, part two
I really hate prickly pears. I used to just dislike them. But after last weekend, I can safely say I hate them. The weekend started innocently enough. As I documented in my previous post, I got to learn about wild plants, hang out with a baby fawn, and milk a goat. Saturday and Sunday were… Continue reading A dirty tale of a dirty weekend, part one
Goat’s milk. A three-day-old fawn. And lots of edible and medicinal plants. These are the things you missed if you weren’t at The Human Path’s class on Foraging Wild Foods and Medicinals, held on private land in Leander. As we toured around the property, our teacher, Sam Coffman, identified and described the uses for a… Continue reading Herbs and goats and deer, oh my!
Fun classes. Native plant identification. Bug-out bags. Archery and bow making. Skills competitions with prizes. BBQ. Swimming. And it’s all free! Come out to The Human Path’s free “Skills Day” in the Austin area on July 2nd from 11am-5pm.This is a chance to meet and talk with the instructors at The Human Path and learn… Continue reading THP Skills Fair & BBQ on July 2nd
Wise advice: “When you are in deep trouble, say nothing, and try to look like you know what you’re doing.” I can think of many situations where it might be dangerous to let on that you are lost or feel out of place, such as when traveling. When threatened, it’s foolish to display too much… Continue reading When in doubt…
Imagine a system that allows you to grow your meat and vegetables all at the same time! Meet aquaponics, a self-sustaining system in which you combine aquaculture (fish) with hydroponics (growing plants in water). On Saturday, June 18th I participated in a day-long workshop to learn about the theory of aquaponics as well as help… Continue reading Aquaponics workshop
Which is more difficult – killing a rabbit or eating bugs? This is a question I will be able to answer after the upcoming weekend (June 25-26), when I will be taking part in the first of three Hunter-Gatherer weekend classes taught by Sam Coffman of The Human Path. Our packing list: 1 Knife… Continue reading Do not bring food
Homemade yogurt? On a recent episode of The Survival Podcast featuring money-saving tips, a listener wrote in suggesting that people make their own yogurt. And from the moment I heard about it, the idea was intoxicating. The basic concept is taking regular milk and adding a couple tablespoons of existing yogurt for the cultures, and… Continue reading Porchgurt
A week away from the internet, phone, tv and indoor bathrooms. Living outdoors in record 100 degree heat for a week. Camping in the woods with 16 strangers (including 3 teenaged boys). Learning how to survive in the wilderness. To some people it sounds ludicrous, miserable, and unbearable. To me, it was one of the… Continue reading Primitive Core Basic – a recap
Surviving the Modern World 