While the girls are off visiting family, I’m getting some work done. Yesterday I changed the thermostat and bypass hose on the truck, did the yard work, weeded the garden, and maybe most importantly, got the first real harvest (aside from an earlier bean pick) from the garden. Not too shabby for a day’s work.
My family and I vacation in Hilton Head, South Carolina every couple of years. It’s your typical family vacation with sun, and sand, and a whole lot of doing nothing. This year, while visiting the pier at Harbor Town, we saw a couple of guys watching a couple of thin ropes trailing down into the water. When I asked what they were doing they said they were crabbing, and opened a cooler to show me half a dozen or so large blue crabs. Mind . . . blown! You mean I can go out on a public pier and catch my own seafood dinner??? That night I went back to the house and started Googling everything I could find about
This week we’ll walk through part two of our Ugly Drum Smoker (UDS) build. We’ll go through the burn out, the grind out, and the assembly of the smoker body. That leaves us only the charcoal basket and the grills before we’re ready to smoke some tasty brisket! Hope you enjoy. And, as always, if you have any questions, please feel free to drop me a comment or shoot me an email. Thanks!
In part 3 of 3 in our home wine making series we look at second clearing, bottling, and corking. If you haven’t seen the first two videos yet, go back and watch from the beginning on the YouTube playlist. If you like this, check out the other videos on our YouTube channel. Better yet, subscribe to the channel so you can be alerted when new videos post. Please leave any questions/comments in the space below. And let me know what topics you’d like to see in the future pertaining to DIY, homesteading, and the self-sufficient lifestyle. Thanks!
I bought a Kay-Bar Becker BK-9 last year mostly for prep work for deer season, but also as a big-duty camp knife. I love the functionality of the knife itself, but the sheath was pretty much a joke. It’s made of nylon webbing and, while it has some okay features (a pocket for sharpener, molle attachments, etc.), it really isn’t ideal. Also, the blade coating makes striking a ferrocerium rod unworkable. So, I decided to make some changes. I first ground off the blade coating, then, then fashioned new handle scales out of Cocobolo, an oily, water-resistant exotic hardwood. Then it was time to address the sheath. There are after-market sheaths for the BK-9, but they’re either made of kydex,
Abby brought me her doll & a handkerchief asking me to “dress” her doll. As I was fumbling with it she said, “And this time can you make it not ” inaplopiate” Because last time you could see her bottom”. LOL I’m glad she knows what’s inappropriate …I know some adults that don’t know that.:))
In this the second part of the home winemaking series we’ll review primary fermentation, secondary fermentation, and clearing an Australian Shiraz. Drink the Harvest link: http://tinyurl.com/drinktheharvest
In this video and the next few videos that follow we’ll be documenting our first foray into vinification (winemaking). We’ll be using a winemaking kit for this first experiment, making an Australian Shiraz. Part one will include preparing the primary fermentation. In later episodes we’ll cover secondary fermentation, clearing, bottling, resting, and finally tasting. Please share your thoughts and comments. Thanks! Drink the Harvest: Making and Preserving Juices, Wines, Meads, Teas, and Ciders 6 Gallon Glass Carboy Hydrometer (Triplescale) Fermtech Large (0.5-Inch) Auto Siphon 3 Piece Econo-Lock with Carboy Bung (Set of 2)
In this episode we begin an Ugly Drum Smoker (UDS) project. I’m investing some serious time and money in this build, as I expect to own and use this smoker for years to come. Parts and cost lists will be posted and linked to selfsufficientpath.com once the project is completed. We’re also using and reviewing a new step drill bit made by Neiko in this episode. 2″ 550F BBQ CHARCOAL GRILL PIT WOOD SMOKER TEMP GAUGE THERMOMETER 2.5″ STEM SS RWB Neiko Titanium Step Drill Bit – 1/4″ to 1-3/8″ in 1/8″ Increments, 10 Steps Wire Rack and Small Cart 3″ Caster Kit – 4 Pack – 3/8″ x 1-1/2″ Threaded Stem
As many of you know, I’ve been hunting fairly hard this year. Despite several full-day and half-day hunts, I am still without fresh venison in the freezer. A few days ago, while driving through our semi-suburban neighborhood I saw a fine looking eight point buck feeding with a doe in a small field. I jokingly told my daughters to keep an eye out for him. Warning, this post goes into fairly explicit detail about the realities of hunting wild game, and may be too much for children. Please do not read further unless you have made a considered decision about the appropriateness of this content for young readers. Thanks. Here’s where it gets weird. I came downstairs after work on
