Today we’re making and testing homemade firestarters.
Author: Joe
Inoculating Shitake Mushroom Logs
Today we’ll walk through the process of inoculating oak logs with Shitake mushroom logs. Using this method you can grow mushrooms for your own use, for sharing with friends and family, or for selling to CSA, farmers’ markets, or to restaurant customers. With just $30 of commercial spawn and a few inexpensive tools, you can be harvesting your own mushrooms in just a few short months.
Thanks Jack!
Our recent post about the Hitch Mount for Pioneer Tool Racks was mentioned on today’s The Survival Podcast by Jack Spirko. To all of you who found your way here, welcome! Stay tuned. We have videos coming in the next few weeks on inoculating mushroom logs, mead making, wrapping up the 2015 hunting season, processing some venison, and lots more.
Several months ago a friend purchased three Pioneer Tool Racks from Old Grouch’s Military Surplus. The boxes had gotten wet, and as a result he got a really good deal on them. Jack Spirko mentioned them on his show, and once he took a look at them, he was sold. So he picked up one for himself, one for me, and one for a mutual friend. I loved the idea of being able to carry an axe, a shovel, and a mattock in one convenient package. Only one problem; my truck has a cap on it, making it hard to mount the rack inside the bed, and still be able to access it easily. What to do, what to do? Finally, I came
Mother Nature Strikes Back
When a big oak tree falls on our garage, we take the self sufficient path to solving the problem. In the process we saved about $2,300, and got a new chainsaw out of the deal.
October Update
Wow, it’s been awhile since I’ve posted. No, we’re not closing up shop. Just running into the same thing we run into every September/October. This is our BUSY season. This time of year we’re busy closing up the garden, hunting, finishing up year-end lawn work, etc. And this year has been even more hectic than most due to the Mother Earth News Fair, some issues we had with some trees (more on that later), and the fact that we’re still trying to get our home ready for sale. Anyway, we do have some videos almost ready to post; our first experiment in making mead, one on the “tree challenge” I mentioned earlier, and a few others we have up our
Apiary Tour
The Children of the American Revolution group Amanda belongs to arranged for a tour of Burgh Bees, an apiary located near downtown Pittsburgh, with a mission of education and the promotion of beekeeping. Amanda and Abby were so excited to visit the apiary. They (and we) learned a lot, got to experience what it’s like with literally thousands of bees flying around, and even got to taste to honey freshly-dripped out of the hive through our veils. It was fantastic. Not sure if me or the girls had the most fun. The staff at Burgh Bees couldn’t have been nicer, and I even got a lead on their Fall Beekeeping 101 course in October. Wild horses (or swarming bees)
Trip to the Bee Farm
Thanks to the Children of the American Revolution our family had the opportunity to take a tour of Burgh Bees, located in Pittsburgh, PA. Burgh Bees is a community group with a mission of promoting bee culture, and educating future bee keepers. After donning veils and making sure we all had long sleeve shirts, we proceeded into the bee yard. The staff showed us the differences between langstroth and top bar hives, explained the roles of the different bees in the hive, and gave us all a high-level primer on bee keeping. We even got to suck some honey through our veils that had dripped on the bars of the top bar hive (the girls’ favorite part). Probably the biggest benefit we got from this
Ugly Drum Smoker – Part III
We’ll build the charcoal basket, make and install the grate supports, and do the final assembly. It is really a pretty simple build. The materials are easy to find and inexpensive. And the results . . . Well, the results speak for themselves. Having already used this smoker three times in the last two weeks, I can tell you it works like a charm. I’ve done smoker sausage once, and pulled pork twice. I’m thinking maybe ribs this weekend. If you’re interested, I’ll be posting a parts list with prices, and some constructions notes/sketches sometime in the next couple of weeks to help you with your own build. Thanks for checking it out, and please subscribe to see more of