Health and Welfare



Wild Onion


As a Nation we are busy. So busy that Fast Food has become a billion dollar industry in a very short time. Growing up it was a treat to go to McDonald's or Wendy's. Now it seems it is a treat to sit down to a homemade family meal at home. We are so busy we drive to the gym to walk on a treadmill so we can watch T.V. while we do it. We are so busy we get upset when someone doesn't respond to our text message within minutes.

Growing up in the country meant that we had to drive into town for groceries. 5 miles wasn't a terribly long distance, but would take an hour's time to drive to town, get what you want and then drive home. That usually meant that take out pizza, which would not be delivered that far out, was cold when you got it home. Tin foil and the oven cured that because it just didn't taste right warmed up in the microwave.

Our health as a Nation has suffered a great deal because of it all. Getting back to natural foods is the only way to get back our health. Whole foods I think are the answer. I have always wondered why we separate and process foods. There are benefits to eating the entire food product. Just like herbs and medicinal plants. We research what ingredient of the plant cures what ails us, then mass produce only that part of it in a lab. Maybe just maybe that is why there are so many side effects to drugs these days.

Chickory

So to do my part of getting back to a healthy lifestyle I am going to plant an edible landscape. I rent so I am limited to what I can do and where. I have several flower gardens though that are plenty big for our family. I am going to start out with some simple herbs in containers, some greens and some veggies. One major obstacle is that my yard face North with a large tree on the south end. So what ever I plant will have to like shade. I have very little area to plant that faces South. Maybe enough room for 2 - 3 containers and that is it.

I am getting a late start probably on planting but I am busy until next week. So after the backpacking trip this weekend I will be heading off to the local nurseries and picking up some starter plants. Here is what I am thinking:
Mint - love it for taste and smell and looks
Parsley?
Cilantro
Oregano
Basil
Onions
Garlic
Leeks
Lettuce - couple of different varieties
Cabbage - Chines variety for color?
Tomatoes - cherry
Bell Peppers
Cucumbers
Celery
Stevia - Sugar substitute with so many other benefits.
Catnip - for the kitty
and we'll see what ever tickles my fancy that someone can suggest for a shady yard.

I would love to throw in some wild stuff too. Some flowers might be good for color maybe some that are edible.

I'll be sure to post some progress with pictures.

See you in the woods!
Jeff

Backyard Bushcrafting

     I want to let it be known that there is absolutely nothing wrong with practicing bushcraft in your backyard. If you are like me and have to travel for an hour and a half to get somewhere even partially secluded.



Emergency Shelter set up at a local park. Anywhere you can practice
your skills is good. Get in your dirt time where ever you can.



     Before heading out to the woods on an overnight adventure trying out new techniques and gear, you want to test them first. Before you have to rely on them. For instance there is no regulation on sleeping bag temperature ratings. Plus everyone sleeps different, so a 0*F bag might be good for one person down to 0*F but might only be good down to 15*F for another. My point being is that you need to test and use your gear in a controlled environment prior to relying on it for you life. Whether that be car camping, or camping out in the backyard. I have set up different tarp / poncho shelters just before major thunderstorms so I could test their integrity and storm riding abilities. It had rained so hard one time I was trapped in my poncho shelter due to torrential rain, while only being 20' from my backdoor! It was dry and comfortable in the shelter, so I waited for it to slow down before heading in and getting soaked. During which time I was texting a friend of mine who was testing his poncho shelter at the same time about 50 miles away. Both shelters held up well. I only got concerned when lightning began striking near me, and the ground had standing water covering it. That was when I decided getting wet was better then getting struck by lightning.

  

My Fire bowl and Bushchair in my Backyard.



      I have a fire bowl in my backyard for practicing fire skills. A charcoal grill will work just as good. In my city they frown on open fires, so I compromise with the fire bowl. It works well enough for what I want to do. If you are forced to use one as well there are a few things you want in a Backyard Bushcraft Fire bowl. You want a large low bowl preferably Stainless Steel. You want it low so that air can circulate under your fire lay. You will want to have drain holes in the bottom so that water can escape. I had to drill holes in mine. A screen to cover your fire is a good idea in the city and might be required. I chose a very simple design to best emulate what I might encounter in the woods.

  





Ferro Rod practice is best done in an environment where you
have the most control. Before You have to rely on it.



     Another advantage of Backyard Bushcrafting, the kids can tag along at very young ages without the worry of a 3 A.M. drive home. A favorite adventure of mine is outdoor cooking. Usually on a Charcoal grill. But this year will see more open fire cooking over the fire bowl as well as some dutch oven cooking.

     There are a lot of things we can do in our backyards that emulate being in the woods when we cannot be there. Taking the time to practice our skills, learning from our mistakes in a controlled environment is always a welcome relief from the daily stress of life. So put down that T.V. remote, head outdoors and get in some dirt time in your own backyard.

Updates

Updates are coming. They are long over due. I have to update the website and that is number one priority. Then Facebook. Then the site I use to register folks for classes. Then newsletters. Then this blog? Oops I forgot I even had a Blog! I don't know if this Blog is worth it? I might just Blof through the newsletter that I haven't put out in several months.

Any news will be added to the newsletter, Facebook page and the website. I don't know if I have time to keep up a Blog too. We'll see.

Any way for those of you who do check this for news, here it is...check the website. LOL

I will be at Four Square this weekend for a Basic Class. Then going hiking next weekend! A weekend to myself! (with friends, new and old) But it will be a weekend off of sorts. I do have some stuff I want to accomplish, and some of that is to CHILLAX!~

Later!~
See you in the woods!

Jeff