NEWS 2010 | NEWS 2009 | NEWS 2008
2010
French being my native language, I apologize in advance for my "interesting" grammar.
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Preserving the Harvest. Salting Vegetables.
August 2010
A couple of days ago, I decided to preserve some of vegetables I collected from my garden. Instead of using the regular canning, I chose the old traditional method of salting.
I actually never salted tomatoes before so the result should be interesting. I found a recipe in an old French book. Nothing special about it, just the regular strong brine and some olive oil to seal it. I just didn't know you could salt tomatoes but then again, I have the feeling that you can apply this method to pretty much anything (and I plan to experiment with a lot of wild food early next year)
Because of the salt concentration, you need to soak the vegetables before use.
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Fermenting Cabbage and Wild Food
August 2010
Five weeks ago, I made another batch of sauerkraut. Around 10 pounds. This time I added some wild radish and some natural spices such as red pepper and California bay leaves.
The sauerkraut is not as crunchy as the last time and definitely taste much better. The California bay leaves provide a delicious touch.
II think I have enough sauerkraut for a while. In the fridge, it should last for many months. |
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Successful Primitive Bird Trapping
August 2010
With trapping, one thing to realize is the fact that making the trap is the easiest part. Actually catching a bird is another matter. In most "survival" classes I've attended, the instructor uses seeds (as a bait) purchased at the local pet store but in a true survival situation you will need to find your own seeds and face it, it's actually not an easy task. Many other skills are also necessary to be successful such as watching your prey's habits, when they eat, the perfect location and much more.
Recently I've been experimenting with wild seeds. Basically gathering seeds from plants such as Curly Dock, Lambsquarters, Wild Mustard, etc... Interestingly enough, I've had the most success with the Lambsquarters seeds. Even then, don't expect to catch a bird every day!
And yes, the cute birdie in the picture was released and thanked for his contribution to my "seeds research".
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Food Preservation - Salting Wild Food
August 2010
Food preservation using salting has been around for thousands of years and yet in regular stores, aside from salted fish, you very rarely see salt used as a preservation method.
The principle is very simple though. Given enough salt, microorganisms in the food are not able to develop and thus food preservation is guaranteed. If you make a brine that is strong enough, you can preserve vegetables almost indefinitely, well at least in theory. In practice, this should translate in the ability to preserve food for many months and even years.
Currently I'm doing various experiments in salting wild food. I do it in small quantities for now so I can evaluate the results. This weekend I salted some wild radish with garlic. |
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Water Procurement and Wild Food Walk
August 2010
Around 25 people showed up for the monthly meetup. We had a great time, hiked for a bit more than an hour and looked at various methods of water procurement. The most effective one was using a "sweat bag" directly from willow branch. The water collected tasted quite good too!
During our hike we collected some wild radish, wild mustard, lambsquarters and after the hike we had lunch with all kinds of wild food I had prepared earlier (Yucca, Lambsquarter, homemade goat cheese with wild food, pickled mustard, etc...). A new culinary addition was the elderberry jam which was very liked.
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Making Elderberry Jam
August 2010
Paula joined me this afternoon and we made some Elderberry jam. This was the first time I made some which made it fun. We simply followed the standard recipe for berries and used pectine.
I wasn't sure if I would like the taste of it but it actually is quite good. Not as good (in my opinion) as the wild currant jam but it's just a preference. The color is a rich dark burgandy.
It's a fine addition to my other canned wild food. |
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Wild Food Class
August 2010
Today we went to the Hahamongna wash near Pasadena for a wild food walk. Still foung some wild radish which is really unusual at this time for Southern California. We hiked for around an hour and looked at various edible plants. Some of the plants we collected were: Passion Fruits, Wild Radish, Mustard flowers, Epazote, Lambsquarter, red berries and a few other things.
At the end of the walk we had a fabulous lunch with some of the plants we collected and also the food I prepared the day before such as my Lambsquarter goat cheese, dried wild currant, pickled yucca and Lambsquarter cooked in creme. Wild food can be delicious!
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Goat Cheese with Wild Food
July 2010
I liked the cheese I made a couple of weeks ago but wanted to improve it a bit. This time I used goat milk instead, added much more Lambsquarters as well as some Wild Radish.
I also wanted a bit more "bite" to it so I took a couple of red peppers from the garden as well as half a Jalapino. Added some fresh thyme and 2 small garlic cloves.
I tasted the cheese this morning, it is just delicious - much better than the last time. |
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Purslane Pickling
July 2010
My friend Robyn gave me some purslane yesterday. I tried to replant that "weed" in my garden but the rats/squirrels seem to love it as well. Purslane is a fantastic wild food, rich is Omega-3 fatty acids and thus good for the heart. You can eat it raw, cooked or pickled.
I don't have much so I decided to pickle it so I can enjoy it during the winter and share it with some of my students as well during my classes.
As usual I used a ratio of 3 parts apple cider vinegar and 2 parts white wine. I also added half a garlic clove, fresh thyme and a bit of hot pepper in each jar and a bit of salt.
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Fail! Curly Dock Soup High Pressure Canning
July 2010
I really wanted to can my Curly Dock recipe. I've cooked Curly Dock often and I really like it. This time, I decided to turn my usual recipe into a complete meal by adding potatoes and bacon. My goal was to high pressure can it so I could enjoy it later.
Well, it just didn't turn out that good. I think the mistake I made was to add water when cooking it. Usually I simply take the leaves and onions then mix and cook it. I thought it would be a good idea to add water but the whole thing turned into a sour mush and the bacon probably didn't help either. So I didn't proceed with canning it.
Oh well! I think I'll have to wait until next year now, it's already late in the season to find fresh Curly Dock. I'll probably high pressure can my Lambsquarter recipe instead. |
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Monthly Meetup Wild Food Walk
July 2010
Every month I organize a wild food walk via a web site called Meetup (www.meetup.com). I've put together a group called the Sylmar Wild Food and Self Reliance group. So far we have around 160 members. Today around 20 people showed up for the walk.
During this walk, we gathered some Wild Radish, Curly Dock, Passion Fruits, Lambsquarters. At the end of the walk, we had a wild food feast where I shared some of my recent wild food culinary experiences (Wild Food Kimchi, Pickled Yucca Fruits, Lambsquarters Pesto, etc...).
Some of the members also contributed some food, Helen had some very good pastries made from Acorn flour. You can join the meetup group HERE.
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Private Canning Class (Wild Food)
July 2010
My friend Tanya invited me to give a class on how to make my usual wild food pickles recipe for a small group of people. Tanya is already very knowledgeable about wild food so she and a friend collected yucca fruits and I contributed some wild radish. Tender Yucca fruits is hard to find at this time (unless you go to higher elevation where it's still in flower) so we had to reject quite a few but we managed to fill around 9 jars with Yucca or Wild Radish.
It was a fun class and great company. |
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Homemade Lambsquarters Cheese
July 2010
Knowing how to make cheese is also a very good self-reliance skill to have. Making a basic cheese is a cinch. The basic components are really just whole milk (does not have to be raw) and lemon or vinegar. As usual I like to add wild food and also spices from the garden.
This cheese is basically a typical farmer's cheese with a little twist. I used 1 gallon of whole milk and 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice to create the basic cheese. While the cheese was hanging and driping, I cooked a big handfull of Lambsquarters and cut it in tiny pieces. I also crushed 2 cloves of garlic.
I mixed the lambsquarters and garlic with the cheese, added 1/2 tablespoon of sea salt, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and some fresh thyme from the garden. Made a big ball using my hands and coated it with pepper. Voila!
It's quite delicious and very easy to make. I'll post the complete recipe in details soon in my "About Wild Food" section.
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Wild Food Dinner (Curly Dock)
July 2010
A few days ago, I picked up some Curly Dock and cooked it for dinner this evening.
Curly Dock can be quite sour, last year my solution was to add some soy sauce, a bit of onions/garlic and parmesan cheese and it was really good but I wanted a more simple recipe. This time I just added onions, garlic and thyme from the garden. The ratio was around 70% Curly Dock and 30% Onion, it was a nice balance of sour and sweet - very tasty.
Note the Sauerkraut on the plate as well :) |
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Dehydrating Wild Currant
July 2010
I went hiking this Saturday to look for wild food and see what I could find in new locations and I came across some wild currant. I already made a lot of jam with the currant in the last 2 months and this is really the end of the season for it where I live (mid-July) but I just could not resist. There was so much of it, it was literally dripping in my hand.
So what else could I do aside from Jam?
I decided that I should dry the currant as it would be a fine addition to my breakfast cereals in the morning. So I went to the store and built a quick sun dehydrator using a wood frame and a fine mesh (same mesh used for windows).
Again, due to the fact that I live on a farm and flies are an issue, I decided to make 3 frames. The middle one would have the wild currant, the top and bottom one would simply be there for protecting it from flies and birds. I placed the frames on top of a black car, the black color absorbing the heat (and heat goes up) and left enough space (6 inches) for air circulation below the frames, thus making it somewhat effective for a primitive dehydration system. We're having some hot weather right now so it should be done in a few days.
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Sauerkraut Success
July 2010
I left the sauerkraut in the crock for 3 weeks only. The temperature in California is quite high so I thought it would enough time for the fermentation to occur. I was right and the sauerkraut taste fantastic. I actually could have left it in the crock for more weeks if I wanted to. I'll try that for the next batch.
Somehow I can only describe the flavor as "fresh". It's a bit tangy, does not feel salty and is quite crunchy. It's really good.
I stuffed it in jars, made sure there was enough brine and in the fridge it should last for many months but we'll probably eat it all within a couple of weeks. |
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Integrating wild food into Kimchi.
July 2010
Fermentation is another way to preserve wild food. You can also pickle or can it, but there are also a lot of culinary explorations to do with fermenting wild food. In nature you can find some plants that are a natural fit for a "Wild Food Kimchi" such as wild radish or mustard.
One of my goals is to integrate as much wild food as possible in my recipes and make it taste wonderful. It's a bit of a creative process as you can't really find existing recipes for this stuff and you get some successes but also failures.
Today I made a basic Kimchi recipe using cabbage as a base. I then added some wild radish pods, Yucca fruits (cut in slices) and a bit of wild mustard. For spices I used red pepper (from my pepper tree), garlic, onion and chilies. I used a canning jar with a stone inside to keep the vegetables down in the brine. The lid is quite loose to allow the pressure from the fermentation to escape and in the same time it's a good protection against flies and such. I even placed a plastic bag around it. Living in a farm, flies can be an issue. Should be ready in a week...YUM!
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Making T'ej - PART 2 (Ethiopian Honey Wine)
July 2010
The honey wine fermentation was going extremely well. The weather wasn't too hot so it actually took 5 days to have it bubbling.
My next step was to remove the lemon basil/mint and filter the mixture through cotton towel. The wine was then transferred to three old wine bottles (which I had sterilized earlier). Not having a commercial airlock, I simply used balloons to keep the air out and allow for the inside pressure created by the fermentation to expand.
I chose "Happy Face" balloons so I get happy faces when the balloons expand during the fermentation process. Should take 2-3 weeks before I can drink it. |
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Wild Food Bonanza - Hahamongna Wash
July 2010
I had to abandon my usual wild food "territory". The city of Los Angeles decided to spray some insecticides for mosquitoes. So I went back to my old foraging ground and to my surprise, it was a real bonanza!
With the winter rain, the whole area had become a huge lake until a couple of months ago. Now the water is gone but a lot of the ground is still humid and perfect for plant growth. I was able to find a large quantity of wild radish and mustard (gone in my usual foraging area). You can find a lot of Lambsquarters, Curly Dock and even some Chickweeds. I saw a bunch of passion fruits flowers - just beautiful! I collected a large quantity of wild radish pods for more pickling and Lambsquarters. Later on during the day, I had a short hike in the local mountains and picked up more Yucca buds.
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Making T'ej (Ethiopian Honey Wine)
June 2010
Today I bought some raw honey at the farmers market. Ended up being from the same guy who collected bees from our garden (See April) so heck...some of the honey was probably made by my bees!
T'ej is easy to do although not everyone likes the flavor. This time I added some Lemon Basil and Mint from the garden. The recipe is very simple:
- Mix 1 part raw honey with 4 parts water (not tap water as it contains chlorine)
- Add herbs if you want (not a necessity). Mint, Lemon basil, Lemon grass, etc...
- Stir the mixture at least twice a day for 3 to 4 days until it begins to bubble.
- Transfer the wine to a clean glass container (I.E. clean empty bottle of wines) . Use an airlock or balloon for the pressure created by the fermentation.
- Wait 2 to 4 weeks depending on the temperature (bubbling slows or stops)
- Drink it!!!!!!!!!!
Note that I'm not using any yeast. You can add yeast purchased from a wine supplies company but I guess I'm a purist, I get my yeast from the environment and thus results can be iffy. I have never done T'ej in this location (California mountains) so we'll see what happens.
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Picking Up Chicks
June 2010
My friend Tiffany and I decided to get more chickens. Currently we have 4 hens and a rooster at the farm but we wanted more. We also have a lot of coyotes where we live so we thought it would be a good idea to have a higher number. It will take months before we get eggs from the chicks. They will stay in the cage for quite a while. We use a heat lamp to keep them warm.
If you want to raise your own chicks, I found the following site quite helpful:
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKRaisingChicks.html
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Wild Food Class with Christopher Nyerges
June 2010
Attended a class given by my friend Christopher Nyerges near Pasadena. As usual I learned new things, actually a new plant. It's nice to have one of the top expert in the country so close to where I live.
Christopher gives classes on a weekly basis, check out his site at: www.ChristopherNyerges.com
At the end of the class, I shared some of my recent wild food experiments (pickling and such). Although I'm not too fond of it, so far the Yucca buds have been liked a lot. |
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Western Black Nightshade (Aka...Wild Tomato)
June 2010
If you read about this plant, more often than not it will be categorized as a poisonous plant. The berries of the Western Black Nightshade are actually edible, just make sure they are fully ripe (Black). Eaten in moderation, they are a fine addition to a wild food salad and taste like...well...a tomato (also in the nighshade family). Green berries and the plant itself contain the toxic alkaloid, solanum.
Years ago when I was still learning wild food, I once chewed on a leaf by mistake (the young plant can be mistaken for Lambsquarters) and it felt like I just came back from the dentist with half of my mouth still under anesthesia. This effect lasted for 30 minutes. But upon doing some research after that experience, yes...the plant has been used as a pain killer, the juice being rubbed onto the skin to ease pain and inflammation, treat burns and bruises. Never tried it myself though. Not that I wouldn't do it, just never had the plant nearby when I needed it.
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Fermentation - Making a basic sauerkraut
June 2010
The project for this weekend as part of the "Food Preservation Month" was related to fermentation. Using the newly acquired fermenting crock, we made a basic sauerkraut. I used a mix of red and green cabbages, added a bit of garlic and some spices (laurel leaves and Italian spices).
The sauerkraut should be ready in around 3 weeks. I never used a fermenting crock before but I assume it will do the job fine. You can use simple jars for fermentation but a crock allows you to ferment larger quantities.
My next fermenting project will be a mix of vegetables and I'll be adding some wine to it. A bit like a russian sauerkraut with my own twist to it.
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Picking up luffas in the wilderness.
June 2010
It's easy to make your own luffas and with all the rain we had this year, they're abundant in the wilderness. You can make luffas from the wild cucumber. It's very easy to recognize (see green fruit on the left). You can pick them up when matured and dry them at home or pick them up dry from the vine.
Once they're really dry, I usually cook them for around 30 minutes until the "spiky" layer starts to peel away. Simply remove that layer and voila! You have a luffa. You can bleach it if you like or use it as is.
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Elderberry Flowers Eggs
June 2010
Well, not just Elderberry flowers, I also added some Lambsquarters and dried Yucca flowers. It was actually quite interesting - there isn't too much taste in the Elderberry flowers but it really made the eggs fluffy and crunchy. It sure added some textures.
Most the flavor came from the Lambsquarters which I love using with my eggs in the morning. I have a bunch of the green lambsquarters growing in the garden and it's a very welcomed "weed".
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Unusual Hiking Buddies
June 2010
Those days, when I go hiking in the local wilderness I have 3 companions with me: 2 dogs and .... a goat. It's a bit unusual but the goat is actually a great hiking companion. I usually let the dogs go first, they would take care of any potential rattlesnakes on the way (and it has happened to me before). The goat just sticks with me. The goat was pretty much raised by the dogs and humans (mom died while giving birth) so in many ways, he does think he is a dog. It's the same goat I bottle fed in the morning for over a month and thus he is somewhat very affectionate with me.
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Fermenting Crock
June 2010
Fermentation has been a way to preserve food for thousands of years and a neat way to make some natural and great tasting gourmet dishes. In the next few months, I'm going to explore much more the fermentation process and see how I can incorporate wild food. I'm probably bound to make a few mistakes on my quest but probably some interesting discoveries as well.
For that purpose, I just purchased a Gartopf fermenting crock. You don't need one to start fermenting vegetables but it's a nice addition to my kitchenware. This weekend I'm going to make a basic sauerkraut recipe.
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Drying Yucca Petals
June 2010
One way to keep the wild food harvest for later is dehydration. The Yucca flowers are great for making soup (see recipe in May 2010) and it's nearly the end of the season. So I decided to pick up more and dehydrate them for later use.
I've also read that the natives used the dried flowers as a snack. Dunno if they dried the whole flower or just the petals, I guess I'll have to do more research on it.
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Yucca (Yucca whipplei) Fruits Pickling
June 2010
This afternoon I made some Yucca Fruits Pickling. After cleaning the fruits and getting rid of those that were too hard, I cooked the fruits for 15 minutes then used my usual pickling recipe: 3 parts Vinegar, 2 parts white wine. This time I added some Japanese red peppers, garlic, Italian herbs and fresh thyme from the garden. The end result should be quite spicy - Yum!
I made 8 jars with the fruits I collected in the morning. Many of the fruits were quite small so I didn't even bother cutting them in pieces.
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Wild Food Hunting
June 2010
This morning, June 13 - I took off in search of specific wild food for my food preservation class. I wanted to collect some Yucca(Yucca whipplei) flowers, Yucca fruits and more Wild Currant.
Took me a couple of hours of hiking and around one hour for collecting the wild currant. I harvested 3 full bags of wild food during that trip. Actually I could have done it in a couple of hours but it was a beautiful day and hiking was fun. It's pretty much the end of the season for the wild currant so I wanted to harvest more and make some jam. |
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CERT Training Completion
June 2010
I did a couple of classes 2-3 years ago but I decided that it would be a good idea to actually do the whole program. So redid the basic CERT program and attended all the classes during the last 7 weeks. I learning quite a few interesting things. I think it's a great program that everyone should do, there are a lot of basic information that could help you and others in an emergency.
One of the things I like about the CERT program is that it also teaches people to be proactive in an emergency. Knowledge is power.
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Wild Food Class with Timothy Snyder
June 2010
Attended a wild food class today given by Timothy Snyder. Timothy is extremely knowledgeable about wild food but also an expert about trees and their use.
As usual, I learned new things, it's always good to attend classes with a variety of instructors, you learn tidbits and new information everytime, each instructor having it's own area of expertise.
I shared some of my pickled yucca and wild radish at the end of the class. It was a beautiful morning and a nice educational walk.
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Close Call - Local Fire
June 2010
Around 3PM a fire started very close to where I live. Maybe half a mile at the most. It's one of the danger of living on the perimeter of the big city. The fire department did an incredible job, we had helicopters flying back and forth for an hour, dropping water on the flames.
I simply monitored the situation, the wind was going in the other direction so I wasn't too worry but you never know what mother nature can have in store for you. The horses were also ready in case of evacuation. By around 4PM, the fire department had the fire under control. Thanks guys!!!!!!
Once again though, it shows that you should have some level of readiness. You never know when something can happen - fire, earthquake, etc... No need to be paranoid about it, a simple preparedness goes a long way and can provide you peace of mind. |
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Home Gardening
June 2010
My little garden is doing well, I keep adding stuff bit by bit. So far I have several tomato plants, zucchinis, various peppers, garlic, basil, aromatic herbs, cucumbers, etc...
One of my goals, with my knowledge of wild food, is to be completely independant from purchasing green stuff at the store. I'll probably will have a surplus of tomatoes which I will can for the winter. I also have a lot of peppers which I will use to make hot sauces and canned salsa.
This weekend I intend to add some green beans and salads.
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Making "liquid" Wild Currant Jam
June 2010
Spent the day with Maria today and we went collecting some wild currant to make some jam. It was a beautiful day and Maria was a great company. Took us a bit more than one hour to collect enough currant, took a brief walk to look at some of the local plants then we went to "the farm" to prepare the jam.
Last year I was a bit sloppy the way I made the jam, pretty much crushed berries and lots of seeds. This time, we did it a bit more cleanly and used mostly the juice. I used the same recipe than last year and we ended up with a jam that's not very firm but still very yummy - so it's a good learning experience, I'll do some research for a proper recipe using pure juice (no skin/seeds) so the jam sets properly next time. We made around 10 jars of various size. Fun relaxing day - Thanks Maria!
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Markmanship Practice
June 2010
For many years I used to compete as a marksman but in the last year, I've barely done any shooting. Partly for economic reason but I've also been so busy doing all the outdoor stuff and giving my classes.
Today, I decided to take off and see how I would do despite a complete lack of training. I was quite surprised that I actually did great. Managed to shoot within an inch at 100 yards and even managed to hit with my first round the steel target at 600 yards standing up - not an easy task considering the rifle is over 17 pounds...
It was a nice and relaxing time, some old friends were there too. I find marksmanship to be very "Zen" - just you and the target, being able to relax, read the environment, breathe correctly, slow down the heartbeat and press that trigger slowly while focusing on the crosshair....
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Lambsquarters "A la Creme" (cooked with milk/cream)
June 2010
The white lambsquarters that you find in the wilderness can be quite "tasty" and a bit bitter as well. I very much prefer the green lambsquarters, it's more tender and really remind me of spinach.
One way to turn the White Lambsquarters into a "gourmet" food is to add some cream (half/half) at the end of the cooking. The ingredients are extremely simple. Some garlic, onions and lambsquarters. I cook the onion and garlic first, then add a bit water (1/2 inch) and cook the lambsquarters until the water is gone (usually around 10 mins). I then add the half/half (1/4 inch) and repeat the process. The cream balances very well the slight bitterness of the white lambsquarters. It's very good as a snack too with crackers.
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Solar Coq-au-Vin (Chicken cooked in wine)
June 2010
Being from Belgium originally - Chicken cooked in wine is very much a typical Belgian delicacy. I like to let it simmer for a whole day. That's when solar cooking becomes a necessity. We're off the grid in terms of gas and cooking all day long could be quite expensive and heck, really unecessary if you have a solar oven.
So today I made enough "Wine Chicken" for 5 people. It's basically a stew composed of potatoes, onions, some garlic, mushrooms and chicken. The original recipe is supposed to be for a rooster but a chicken does fine. Some people also add bacon to it. And I usually use 1/2 to a full bottle of red wine and add some French herbs - salt and pepper to taste.
I let it simmer all day long and by the end of the day, the chicken was falling apart. It was just wonderful! Although the day was not too hot per California standard (80 degrees), the solar oven reached temperature of 305 degrees.
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Morning Chores
June 2010
Two or three times a week, I feed the animals in the morning. Somehow I seem to have followed a "farm schedule", waking up with the sunrise and going to bed early so often I'm the first guy to be awake and I take the duty to feed the animals. It actually doesn't take too long, maybe 15-20 minutes. I basically have to feed 7 horses, 3 goats, 2 dogs, let the chicken out, collect the eggs, check out on stuff like water, etc...
It's a fun way to start the day before going to work. Our free range chicken eggs are just incredible! The color and taste just doesn't compare to what you buy at the store.
Once I'm done with the animals, then I water the garden I started. Busy mornings! |
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Wild Food Hunting In Los Angeles
May 2010
It's interesting but since I've really incorporated wild food in my life, I've seen a change of focus. Originally I was simply doing...what I call foraging - basically collecting wild food as I was walking along. But recently, i've become much more focused. Taking advantage of the seasons, I'm now in search of specific food each month - an activity more akin to "hunting" than foraging.
Foraging means simply wandering around in search for food or provisions. Hunting is more appropriate in its definition: "The act of conducting a search for something". And it's really what I do now...hunting for wild food. Sure, I'll pick up whatever I can on my way but my search is actually focused. Like hunting, I'll look for the usual habits of my preys such as location, habits (growing in the shadow or sun), time (season) and much more. It's actually quite challenging to go in new locations to find something specific and actually being able to find it.
My quest today was to find an appropriate amount of Lambsquarters for this week. I took off and focused my search in areas near water - specifically the Hanson Flood Control basin. My "hunt" was successful although it took me a while to find some decent plants. On the way, I also collected some chickweeds (yep, it was hidden under a bridge), wild radish and cattail.
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Making Organic Soap with Wild Aromatic Plants
May 2010
We had a great class today on making soap with aromatic plants and got our hands dirty or should I say quite "Oily". Today, we made some California Sage Brush soap. I had some sage that had been infused in oil for over 2 months and was quite potent. We also infused some white sage in oil and it should be ready in 3-4 week.
After making the California Sage soap, I showed my simple recipe for making what I now call "Mud Soaps" which are basically pure plants mixed in an already made soap (with no perfume). Today we made some Creosote Bush soap. It's not only very good for the skin but smells like the desert after a good rainfall. If you love the desert, you bond to love that soap. |
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Trapping and Wild Food Meeting
May 2010
Each month, I organize a free meeting to introduce new people to wild food and some of what I call "Urban Outdoor Skills".
Around 17 people attended the meeting, including some of the local wild food/self-reliance experts.
We looked at various traps that can be applicable in an urban environment (bird traps, snares, deadfall, etc...). Paul Campbell demonstrated some of his bird traps which are truly work of art.
Regarding the wild food, I made my usual snacks with hummus and wild mustard, wild radish, pickled Yucca, etc... We also ate some of the local wild currant.
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Exploring The Wilderness
May 2010
I took off last week to explore my new environment. Hiked for a couple of hours, going up and down the hills.
There isn't much wild food but I found quite a bunch of aromatic plants (Black Sage, White Sage and California Sage). This is great for doing my organic soaps.
I also found the biggest wild cucumbers I have ever seen! Some were bigger than my hand. Once dried, this will make wonderful luffas. I saved the seeds for next year. Maybe I can get the same huge cucumbers with those seeds. |
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Local Lambsquarters (I call it Wild Spinach)
May 2010
Went hiking in the Orcas wash (Lake View Terrace) and with all the rain we had this years, I was pleasantly surprised to find a nice amount of Lambsquarters. I was able to forage enough for several people in 15 minutes. Lambsquarters is related to spinach and has much more nutrition value.
One of the ways I prepare it is as follow: I use only the leaves (unless the plant is very young). First I chop the leaves in small parts, add a bit of water to cook them with some garlic. When the chooped leaves are cooked, I add some oil or butter with salt/pepper and aromatic herbs. It's also very good with eggs in the morning.
It's really a delicious plant!
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Yucca Flowers Soup
May 2010
This Saturday I went hiking with the goal of forgaging wild food for the monthly meeting I put together.
I collected various plants but I was very interested in the Yucca flowers to make some soup. The recipe is quite simple and the soup is delicious. It took a bit of effort and ingenuity to get the fllowers - I basically attached a knife to my walking stick with Yucca fibers. It worked very well.
The recipe for Yucca Flowers Soup is very simple - this is what you need (You can also make less than I did): 6 cups of Yucca Petals, 2 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 tablespoon butter, 3/4 of a bottle of milk (1 quart bottle) and 1/4 cup of Half/Half (you can put more half/half if you want a more creamy soup.
I cooked the petals for 15 minutes and drained them. Mashed the petals with my molcajete, returned them to the pot, added the milk/half and half, the butter and cornstarch - cooked it until I got a boil and stopped there. Add salt, pepper and Italian spices to taste.
I'm sure some other ingredients could be added to make it taste even better. Maybe parmesan cheese? If anyone has a better recipe, let me know!
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Trapping and Wild Food Class
May 2010
During our class today we made several basic traps such as snares, deadfalls and a bird trap Aracupa style.
For the deadfall trap we used the premontory peg technique which is really one of the simplest and easiest way to do it. We also looked at where and why we have to place traps, what are the signs and how to place to snares for which animals. We also created ropes using Yucca leaves.
After creating the traps we went in search of wild food and collected some wild radish, wild mustard and some fennel. Some people had cut down some Yucca shoots so we scavenged what was left and tasted it. The students got to take home some nice chunck of it. At the end of the class we made some snacks, prepared the mustard and tasted some pickled Yucca and wild radish.
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Living a Country Lifestyle in Los Angeles
May 2010
Well, I moved again!
I wanted to find a location where I could go back to a country lifestyle and offer some of my classes on location. After a couple of months of searching I've found the perfect place so I moved again. I'm still renting just a room, pretty much the same size as before but it's also less expensive which is a bonus. A good thing in our present economy - heck, the stock market took a 900 pts dive yesterday afternoon! It's a good time to apply some self-reliance in our live and keep learning how to be more efficient at it..
The place is basically a "farm" on the edge of Los Angeles - pretty much within the Angeles National Forest.
It's pretty much what I was looking for. A garden was put together with raised beds, composter, etc... but had not been used for probably a year or two so it's just waiting for me to put some life back into it. This is going to be fun!
The "farm" has several goats, chicken, seven horses, dogs and surrounded by the wilderness. Yet, I'm still only 25 minutes from Hollywood. Yesterday I had my first true "self-reliant" breakfast - eggs from our chicken and wild food I collected in the neglected garden (Lambsquarters, Mallow, Sow Thistle, Wild Mustard).
Aside from electricity we're pretty much off the grid. We have our own well for water (drinkable too using my Berkley water filtration system) and a gas tank.
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2010 - What's in YOUR Emergency Backpack meeting!
April 2010
Every year I put together an event called the "What's in YOUR Emergency Backpack?". The idea is very simple, we have a mix of survival/preparedness experts and novices - we all bring our backpack, lay down the content on the ground and explain what we have in it and why.
It is always a fantastic learning experience, mostly learning from some of the most experienced people attending. This year we had Christopher Nyerges (wild food expert and author of several books on survival/preparedness), Dude McLean (Over 50 years of real survival experience) and Paul Campbell (Author of the book "Survival Skills of Native California) attending as well as several other experienced people.
It is always fascinating to see that the most experienced people have usually the smallest emergency backpack. They rely on the survival skills they have acquired over the years instead of relying on gears and gadgets.
On my side, after explaining the content of my backpack, I took care of feeding everyone and introduced people to some of the local wild food. We had crackers with hummus and cheese mixed with Wild Mustard, Wild Radish, Yucca Flowers, Yucca shoots pickling, Chickweeds and also made some "French style" mustard with white wine, vinegar and spices using the local (and very spicy) wild mustard flowers. I also made some nettle soup using my solar oven. Paul Campbell also had some dried Elderberries.
Everyone had a good time and it was a beautiful day!
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Wild Radish Pods Pickling
April 2010
It is the right time of the season to forage the wild radish pods. When you pick them up, make sure they are still tender and that the seeds inside are not too hard. I pickled a few jars. This time used a ratio of 3 parts Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 parts white wine. Should be interesting. With the pods I added some mustard flowers, red pepper from a local tree (in moderation), one clove of garlic, salt and Italian herbs.
I placed the content in the jars (pods, etc...), heated the vinegar/wine to a boiling point and poured it in the jars. Closed the leads and placed the jars in boiling water for 15 minutes. As usual, I also made sure to sterilize the jars first.
It should last for many, many months! |
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Composter Hijack (Bees - Part II)
April 2010
We found an experienced beekeeper to come and get the hive from the composter. This was quite an exhilarating experience. Watching TV shows about beekeeping (when I had a TV), you always see the guys fully dressed in a protective suit with mesh over the face as well.
Well, not this guy! He just showed up, opened the composter as if there wasn't anything in it and started picking up handfull of bees. The idea is to get the queen bee, place it in the new box and the rest will follow.
Of course, I had to do it too! It was quite a rush of adrenaline to have bees crawling all over you. As a kid you learn how bees are dangerous but in fact, those bees were extremely tame and gentle. The beekeeper explained that, because of the fact this is a new location for the hive, they also don't have anything to protect yet and not much to worry about.
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New Wild Food this month - Wild Currant and Yucca Flowers
April 2010
The Yucca flowers are back!
So I'm going to be busy trying some new recipes. The flowers are great in salad and can be cooked. Interestingly enough, once cooked the flowers remind me of "cabbage" - sort of...it was my experience last year. This year, we'll see what I can come up with. In salads, the flowers can really enhance the flavor and add a "flower perfume" to it. I like it in moderation though.
Thanks to the rain, the wild currant will be abundant this year. This means a lot of jam! |
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Water Purification Class and Wild Food Snacks!
April 2010
Had another class about water purification. I think it's good timing with the recent earthquakes and hopefully the information given during my two classes will help people in case a "big" one occur.
Again, we reviewed all kinds of water filtration and purification methods, from primitive (charcoal and sand, cloth filter) to more elaborate systems (commercial filtration devices) and chemical purification (Iodine, Bleach, commercial chemical purification tablets, etc...). We also looked at the benefits of boiling water, distillation and Ultra Violet (sun) purification. Ron was prepared though, he had one of those new filtration system able to get rid of viruses as well. Well done!
Then we took off in search of wild food to make some interesting snacks. We collected some of the very spicy wild mustard flowers (as well as wild radish and a few other plants) and made a traditional French mustard recipe which we ate with crackers, cheese and hummus. We also tested some of my recent Yucca shoots pickling. Sheesh, looks like I'm too hard on myself with the yucca picklings...I'm so-so about it but they were very liked!
The students were awesome and I enjoyed myself very much too!
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Composter Hijack
April 2010
Today our composter got hijacked by bees.
I noticed a few bees going in and out of the composter and thought...ups! We may have a hive inside.
Well, 5 minutes later - huge buzzing sound and a black cloud descended upon us. Our composter got hijacked! They're cool bees though, not agressive at all so I'm just going to continue my usual business in the garden and we'll find a beekeeper interested to pick up the hive.
Meanwhile...hmmm...no composting for a while :)
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Water Procurement
April 2010
My friend Christopher Nyerges (www.christophernyerges.com) was giving a class on desert survival. I decided to go say hi and join the class. Christopher is a true expert in plants and survival/preparedness, so you always learn new stuff.
During the class we made a solar still, plant "sweat bags", gathered some wild food and built a shelter as well.
After the class, I shared some of my recent "food experiments" with the people who attended and made a quick demonstration on how to make a wonderful mustard with mustard flowers.
It was a great day, Christopher is a fantastic teacher.
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Canning Wild Mustard
April 2010
This is very much a new experiment that seems to turn out well. I basically use traditional pickling methods. The mustard does lose some strengh when cooked but it's extremely flavorful! I think the mustard I made should last many months. Here is what I did:
1. Gather enough mustard flowers (the really spicy kind) to make 6 compacted cups once washed.
2. Add 2 cups of dry white wine and blend it (molcajete or electric blender)
3. Add one cup of white wine vinegar and one cup of apple cider vinegar. Salt and spices (Italian or French mix) to taste. I also added 3 garlic cloves.
4. Cook it until the mustard is quite dense but there is really a judgement call to make, as you cook it the mustard lose it's spicy strenght. Vinegar also evaporate quite fast too. I think I cooked it for around 10 minutes.
5 Once satisfied with the density of the mustard, place it into jars - close the lids and as in the water-bath method, leave the jars for 15 minutes in boiling water.
With the 6 cups of mustard flowers I made 12 small jars. |
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Making Fresh Spicy Mustard with Wild Mustard Flowers
April 2010
In the Los Angeles area, a lot of the wild mustard is very mild and sometimes you come across a patch of very spicy ones. The plants look nearly identical, the spicy ones are usually twice the height though - easily 7 to 9 feet tall. That's how I recognize what I'm looking for and so far it's been an excellent working method.
Making fresh and tasty mustard is a cinch. I simply gather some of the yellow flowers, wash them in water and using my molcajete make a pulp of it all. Add some wine or apple vinegar to taste, some spices (Italian mix), salt and a tiny bit of garlic and you're done.
It's extremely fresh and spicy!
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Water Purification / Earthquake Preparedness Meeting
April 2010
18 people showed up for the monthly meeting. We discussed basic earthquake preparedness and water purification. Basically enough information to make sure you don't end up a victim or a refugee and can take care of yourself or your immediate family (and help others as well if necessary).
We reviewed all kinds of water filtration and purification methods, from primitive (charcoal and sand, cloth filter) to more elaborate systems (commercial filtration devices) and chemical purification (Iodine, Bleach, commercial chemical purification tablets, etc...). We also looked at the benefits of boiling water, distillation and Ultra Violet (sun) purification.
We also spent an hour collecting some local wild food and made some yummy eggs! |
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Primitive Bird Trap - Arapuca Trap
March 2010
My project for this morning was to construct a basic primitive bird trap. I like very much the Arapuca trap design. It's very simple and only requires some sticks and cordage. Actually only two cords.
This was the first time I do this type of trap, took me 4 hrs to put it together, including hiking time, cutting the pieces of wood, making the cordage with Yucca and putting the trap together. I struggled a little because one of the Yucca cord was barely long enough. The trigger was a cinch to make.
Next time I probably can do it in 2 1/2 hrs including hiking time.
Here is a neat video about the Arapuca Trap and how to make it. CLICK HERE
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Yucca Shoots Pickling
March 2010
I still had one Yucca shoot left and decided to pickle it. Being able to preserve food is an extremely important survival skill to have. The wild food is abundant during spring and early summer but if you don't find a way to preserve it, you may run out of food during the harsher months (winter).
To pickle it, I cut the shoot in large pieces and cooked it in vinegar and water (3 parts apple vinegar and 2 parts water). Once cooked, I placed the Yucca in jars with some other wild food I collected (Fenel, Wild Radish, Wild Mustard). Other ingredients included salt. pepper, Italian herbs and garlic. I cooked the jars for 15 minutes in boiling water. This should be good to eat for at least a year. In retrospective, I should have added some sugar - maybe next time! |
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Yucca Shoot Salad
March 2010
I took a small amount of the Yucca Shoots I collected from the construction area and prepared it like I usually do with cucumbers.
Simple recipe:
Cut the Yucca in small slices.
Add vinegar, salt and pepper to taste
I also added some wild mustard, wild radish and some herbs (thyme, etc...)
Because the Yucca is a bit more tough than a cucumber, I left it overnight in the fridge. It was absolutely delicious the next day!
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Yucca Shoot Cooking
March 2010
During one of my hike, I found a construction area where some Yucca was being removed. Two of the Yucca had decent shoots and I decided to collect it for cooking. I don't advise to cut Yucca shoots in the wild (unless true emergency), you actually get more food later on from the flowers and pods and it's also so beautiful once it's flowering! In some area the Yucca may also be protected.
Anyway, the shoots taste a bit like cucumber with a nutty flavor. I cooked some with onions, Curly Dock, Turkey and Mushroom. Once cooked, the Yucca Shoot has a sweet flavor which perfectly balance the bitterness of the Curly Dock. I made this dish for 4 people and they loved it! |
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Field Expedient Soap Making - NOT!
March 2010
Sometimes I get "survival" books from friends and, yes, you always learn new stuff but sometimes you read things and you think..."no way!". Anyway, I love making organic soaps and reading this book I found this "recipe" for a easy way to make soap in the outdoor. Heck, although I didn't believe it, I'm always game to try it at least. The "recipe" was as follow: Take some charcoal from your campfire, grind it and mix it with water (the photo shows a very tiny quantity of charcoal), mix the charcoal with water and strain it through a filter. Heat up some oil or animal fat, add some pine needles (to make it somewhat antiseptic) then add the water (which had the charcoal in it). Boil until the water is evaporated, let it cool down and voila! You are left with some soap!
My conclusion...BUSTED! (so far). I ended up with some smelly oil (Top right) despite using more charcoal powder than he used. But hey, the book shows a photo of a soapy substance so you know what, I'll try it again with some fresh charcoal (my charcoal was a month old) and then with something that make more sense to me...using the ashes. I'm sure the author did not mean to give false information so I'll investigate more and find out why his recipe is not working. If some of you had success with this simple method, let me know!
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Gourmet Wild Food Class
March 2010
During the Gourmet Wild Food Class we collected Curly Dock, Nettles, Lambsquarter, Fennel, Wild Radish and Mustard. We made a wild food salad which also included Chickweeds. I also made some eggs with a mix of plants we collected (mostly nettles) and we also had some nettle soup.
During the hike we also learned about some local aromatic plants (Black Sage and California Sage), looked at dangerous plants as well (Poison Hemlock). We also tasted some cactuses and identified other plants such as Elderberry tree, Wild Currant, Yucca and much more...
It was a beautiful day and it's getting hot in California! |
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Sleeping well despite the Flu - The "GROG"
March 2010
I had a hard time sleeping with the flu/congestions and I decided to use an old folk "remedy" that my mother used to make. Took me a while to remember this very simple grog recipe:
- 1 large cup of hot water
- 1/2 freshly squeezed lemon
- 1 spoon of honey
- Rum (you decide the quantity)
Drink it before going to bed.
I decided to use...a good quantity of rum and gosh! I did sleep very well :) |
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Inhalation Therapy - Flu and cold
March 2010
I had the flu this week - pretty bad actually and decided to use medicinal plants to treat myself instead of using drugs (prescription or not). I used the remaining horehound candies I made last month for my cough, lots of fruits for vitamins C, lots of fluid (water), the usual chicken soup, some willow bark tea when I had fever.
To clear up my congestions (sinus and lungs), I mixed white sage, black sage and california brush sage. Basically made an infusion and placed a towel over my head and started breathing. Twice a day for 15 minutes and it really helped.
Both friends who had the same flu ended up taking antibiotics for bronchitis, so far I seem to have escaped that fate - YAY! |
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Exploring the Urban Wilderness Meeting - Eating Wild Food
March 2010
Around 13 people showed up for my monthly "Exploring the Urban Wilderness" meeting. My friend Alan Halcon (Survival instructor, field editor for, “Wilderness Way” magazine, record holder with the handdrill, made a coal in 2 seconds.) also joined us and shared his knowledge about plants to the group. (see: www.dirttime.com for more information about Alan )
We went on an easy hike for couple of hours and foraged some local plants such a Wild Mustard, Nettles, Wild Radish, Fennel, Sow Thistle and much more. After the hike we made a wild food salad, had some nettle soup and also some nettle pesto that I made the previous day.
It was a great group of people and a big thank you to Alan for helping me!
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Plants found during my hike: Wild Rhubarb and Wild Cucumber.
March 2010
Found some wild rhubarb (right photo) today. It looks very similar to Curly Dock but the colors of the plant are very different. Quite beautiful actually. Now unlike the Curly Dock, the leaves are considered poisonous but the stalks are the edible parts. I'm not too found of rhubarb in the first place so I didn't forage that plant.
With all the recent rain, I also have an incredible amount of wild cucumbers growing in the wash nearby. Although not edible (you can mash the stuff and use it to stun fish), the fruits are an excellent ressource for natural luffas, When the fruit has matured (it's brown and extremely prickly), pick it up and boil it, then remove the spiny skin. Once the skin is removed you end up with a beautiful luffa. I guess you'll have to wait until it matures to see a photo.
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Going Primitive with my Pestle and Mortar: The Molcajete
March 2010
Decided to go a bit more primitive with my pestle and mortar. I already had a nice one made from porcelain but it wasn't rough enough for some of the wild food I usually collect.
After doing some research, I decided to buy a Molcajete. I did a bit of research on it and you need to find a good one. Some are made in China and some are made of cement (which will always leave residues when grinding). The one I finally chose is made in Mexico from lava rock. It takes a while to make it ready for grinding. The stone is very rough, so you clean it (just water) first then put a small amount of rice and grind it. You do that several times until the rice does not turn grayish but stays white. Took me around 6 hrs of actual rice grinding to do it properly but it's soooo worth it!
The next phase was to grind some garlic and usual wild food (Nettles, etc...) and leave it overnight, then clean it again. Even after a couple of weeks of no use, the stone has kept the wild food and garlic aroma.
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Gourmet Wild Food Class
February 2010
Had my gourmet wild food class this morning. We went on a hike for a couple of hours and gathered some wild food (Nettles, Lambsquarters, Wild Mustard, Sow Thistle, etc...). We also looked at various other plants (White Sage, Black Sage, California Sage, etc...), and made some soap with Yucca.
The lunch consisted of some eggs mixed with the wild food and we also had some of my now "famous" nettle soup.
It was a beautiful day and I had a great time!
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Making Organic White Sage Soap
February 2010
I'm really excited by this new process. Last year I did some experiments with mixing pure plants when making soap but the problem with White Sage was the fact that the beautiful smell was pretty much gone. This time, I infused the oil for many weeks, sometimes changing the White Sage three times and used the infused oil to make the soap. For this batch of soap I used organic Avocado oil, Coconut oil and Olive oil. To take the organic to the extreme, I even used rain water to make the lye water (lye is the chemical that changes the oil into soap - you can also make it naturally with wood ashes).
As in my first experiment last year, the organic compound from the White Sage reacted with the lye and the liquid soap turned a nice translucent red with a hint of green too. As it was curing/drying the soap turned into a beautiful Sage color...fascinating but perfect!!!!!
The smell of the White Sage was also holding up while I was mixing the lye and soap so I think the soap will be awesome! If I sell some, it will probably be the most expensive soap in the world but hey... White Sage gathered from the wild, oil was sun infused for weeks, rain water...it's all worth it!
The soap has to cure for 3 weeks - I can't wait to test it! |
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Stone Knapping - Making Arrowheads
February 2010
Attended a short class on stone knapping last weekend. Last class I took on that subject was many years ago and I must said that the lack of practice was evident on my side. It's not really a skill necessary for someone living in an urban area but it is definitly a lot of fun to shape a stone and make it into something useful.
My arrowhead ended up quite rough (right) compared to an authentic native arrowhead (left) but I think I'm going to keep practicing that craft. Once you understand the basics, it's really a matter of practice, practice, practice!
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Exploring the Urban Wilderness
February 2010
Once a month I organize a meeting and take people on a hike and introduce them to wild food.
This month, we hiked for a couple of hours and collected some wild plants. We made a wild food salad with Chickweeds, Lambsquarters, Sow Thistle and a few other wild plants.
We also did some cordage with Yucca.
After the hike we also tasted some Nettle soup.
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Horehound Candy
February 2010
Made some Horehound candy last week. Horehound is a plant in the mint family,quite abundant where I live. It is also a known as one of the most popular pectoral remedies (cough, asthma, cold, etc...). I remember eating some as a kid. The plant is quite bitter so the candies taste like...well...medicine but you get used to it. The recipe I used was:
1 3/4 pints horehound leaves and stems
1 pint water
3 cups organic sugar
1/2 cup organic butter
Method
- Make a strong brew of horehound by boiling the leaves and stems in the water for half an hour. Strain and add the sugar then boil again and add the butter. Continue to boil until syrup has reached the "hard ball" stage when dropped into a saucer of cold water. When cool and hardened break into squares. I didn't do a good job cutting the squares though :) |
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Entomophagy - Gourmet Yummy Bugs!
February 2010
Let's face it, eating bugs is not for everyone or...is it?
I took a bunch of friends including my son and my daughter to a very cool Thai restaurant in Los Angeles. The name of the place is Typhoon. They serve bugs (scorpions, crickets, etc...) as appetizers. The interesting part was the fact that many of my friends were not very interested by eating bugs but, guess what! In a nice restaurant and with a nice presentation, every single person actually ate some of the bugs.
So if you live in Los Angeles and are interested by a peculiar culinary experience, Typhoon is the place! The web site for the restaurant is:
www.Typhoon.biz
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Making Fire in the Rain
February 2010
Attended one of Christopher's class, it was a rainy day and the ground was soaked from several days of rain in the last couple of weeks. The people attending were old hands so it was decided to do something a bit more challenging and make some fire using a bow drill in the rain and finding materials in the environment to make the fire.
I had more fun taking the photos so wasn't helping much but we were successful and had a decent fire within an hour.
For outdoor/survival and primitive classes check Christopher Nyerges web site at: www.christophernyerges.com
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Desert Weekend - Finding Incense, Collecting Aromatic plants and Finding Water.
February 2010
Went to the desert for a weekend trip. Had a couple of goals: Finding more aromatic plants, collecting incense resine (from Brittlebush/Incensio) and Juniper Berries for an upcoming class on how to make incense. My last goal was to be able to find water.
Managed to accomplish all my goals. There was an abundance of Brittlebush near Indio (North of Palm Springs) and resine was oozing from the plants. Although it was quite tedious to collect (2 hours), managed to have a decent amount available for my upcoming class. I also collected some Juniper Berries and just had a great time going around checking the local plants. There is so much I still have to learn about desert plants. I did collect some Creosote Bush as well to make some Creosote soap in the next month.
Finding water was an interesting exercise. It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be for February. The place where I found the most water was definitely not per what the textbook says so I learned a few new things.
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Time for Yummy Wild Food Salads
February 2010
This is the perfect time to collect wild food. No need to go to the supermarket to buy green stuff, nature is offering us an abundance of wild greens.
Last weekend I mixed some wild food (Chickweed, Lamb'ss quarter, Mallow, Miner's Lettuce, Wild Radish and Wild Mustard) with some cold pasta. Added a bit of goat cheese and prosciutto on top. By itself it was a full healthy dinner.
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Catching Rain Water
January 2010
With several storms coming our way this week, we decided to store some rain water for the garden and also for emergencies.
So far we've collected over 300 gallons of water in 6 containers.
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Primitive Urban Settlements
January 2010
Made a trip to the desert to explore some old mines and the famous Calico Ghost town.
It was interesting to see how the earlier settlers/miners were able to use the natural elements to construct some primitive (and in some case quite elaborate) housing. Within a matter of a few days, I can see how someone could put together a nice little cabin, including fire place and make it quite cozy...hmmm....gets me thinking about building myself a little piece of heaven in some remote place for some occasional weekend relaxation.
Calico has some great examples once you adventure a bit further than the touristic area. Visiting the museum provides some interesting information on the miner's way of life which, from my perspective, was probably quite rough at times.
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Making Natural Incenses (Incense Cones, Pellets, etc...)
January 2010
Last year I did quite some research on aromatic plants and in the last month I've been experimenting with ways to incorporate wild aromatic plants in the creation of natural incenses. It's actually quite fascinating to blend various elements to create scents that you like and you make some personal discoveries as well. Aromatic plants for which you have scent affinity sometimes don't translate too well once burning as incense (Sage is a personal example).
In the last few weeks I created Natural Incenses cones using various elements for self-combustion such as Makko Powder, Charcoal and Mugwort. I'm experimenting with White Sage, Yerba Santa, Black Sage, Desert Sage, Creosote and various resines as well. I've also done some more traditional/primitive incenses such as honey based and fruits based pellets.
From my perspective the resine incenses (Brittlebush, Pine, etc...) are the best so far but over the next few months, I'm sure I will come up with some nice blending of aromatic wild plants and resines.
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Trip to Collect Aromatic Desert Plants
January 2010
Spent a day in the desert near Barstow to collect some aromatic desert plants this weekend. I collected some Creosote, Sage, Desert Sage and some other plants I still have to identify. I realize I still have quite a few things to learn about plants in the desert. January is not the best month to collect plants but nevertheless I found what I was looking for and it was a beautiful day as well.
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