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Homesteading Skills
- Thread starter Al-Jim19
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xtry51
NES Member
Tap water and pickling lime.
fshalor
NES Member
This.
We looked at downsizing stuff, but the welders and tools will never be on the list.
If SHtF, our three small garden plots, plus the flower garden (would be converted to food generator) will come in handy.
People will still trade goods. Cars will still exist and need repair.
Plans include:
100 acres. Mix of farmland and wood lot for materials and game.
Build a still. (for trade, not consumption)
Have a local network who knows your skills and you compliment theirs.
Defensible positions.
At least one of each which runs on diesel: vehicle, Genset, tractor.
Setup ability to make biodiesel
200w minimum self power generation.
Well and cistern rain catch system.
Chickens, goats and maybe a pig.
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It’s going to be a great year for mushrooms. I can’t believe how early this stuff is showing up. I just started picking early low bush blueberries.
Beefsteak!!!
The only one you can eat raw.
I also found this chicken of the woods. It’s a little tired, but it’s pretty early for this stuff.
Beefsteak!!!
The only one you can eat raw.
I also found this chicken of the woods. It’s a little tired, but it’s pretty early for this stuff.
@Medicine Man
I’m on vacation for 2 weeks out of state and I’m curious as to whether I should harvest that chicken of the woods now or wait until end of this month. That picture above is about 1.5 weeks old and just 2 days I was there and it’s doubled in size. I just don’t want to miss this opportunity.
I’m on vacation for 2 weeks out of state and I’m curious as to whether I should harvest that chicken of the woods now or wait until end of this month. That picture above is about 1.5 weeks old and just 2 days I was there and it’s doubled in size. I just don’t want to miss this opportunity.
Those should dry out nicely.
They are currently vacuumed sealed and freezing as we speak. I won’t get back to eating them until August. What I thaw out I will then decide whether to dry some out to rehydrate later in a soup or something but man do I love this coated in a mixture of flour/salt/pepper and fried in a cast iron pan!
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This one is the most flamboyant fungi out there. It’s the best one to cut your teeth on.
Just to add this: the pic of the log a few posts above was on 7/2 and I harvested them today on 7/7 so that will give you an idea of how much they grow over a 5 day period.
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You did the right thing. I would have played it the same way. Two weeks is a long time in the mushroom world. Especially with choice mushrooms like that. We’re not the only ones eating this stuff.
They look fantastic.
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You must live near a hemlock grove.
Generally, mushrooms are a little more difficult process than medicinal plants.
It’s a three step process.
Using fresh mushrooms.
First, slice the mushroom into strips. The smaller the better. Place strips in a jar and cover with straight grain alcohol. I use an organic grain alcohol that gets bootlegged to me, but ever clear works. MA has some screwy laws regarding grain alcohol so you may need to drive closer to the border to get it.
Cover the mushroom slices with the alcohol and let it sit for 24 hours.
Strain and put the alcohol aside.
Second step:
Take the marc or alcohol soaked mushroom pieces and decoct (simmer) them in water for 24 hours. The idea is to end up with the same amount of water decoction as alcohol. Keep simmering until they’re equal but at least 24 hours.
Step three:
Mix the alcohol, water, and marc into one jar, cover and let it sit for two weeks, gently shaking it every day. Strain and bottle. It’s now ready to use.
A word on alcohol.
Some medicine is easy to make. Pine needle tea couldn’t get simpler. Pour hot water over pine needles and let it sit for fifteen minutes. Drink.
Different solvents work differently and sometimes (like above) we use more than one. Some basic solvents are; water, alcohol, glycerin, heat, and even sugar.
When using alcohol, it is important to consider the water content of the herb. If you’re using dry material, you may need to add water to alcohol so it won’t destroy the compounds you’re looking to extract.
Mushrooms are generally processed wet. Alcohol will extract water as well as the compounds. Even using 190 proof grain alcohol in the above example will result in a final mixture about 120 proof.
This is important for a few reasons, but most importantly because it alters the efficacy of your extractions. We use grain alcohol because it’s as close to pure alcohol (200 proof) as we can get and can be made any proof dependent upon the water content of the herbs and additional water added.
Medicine making is as much an art as science. I believe a lot of the studies done on herbs often neglect this point. For example, some stuff needs to be processed in the field. Waiting to process it until you get home loses most of the medical benefits.
Comparing two medicines made from the same plant but processed differently will result in inconclusive results and is largely the reason information on herbs is all over the place. Pharmacy used to include medicine making. Not anymore.
ETA: Hi ATF and Maura, I’m joking about the bootlegging, please stand down.
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Went foraging today on Wellesley Island NY.
Great find of chanterelles, black trumpets, king boletes, slippery jacks, rosy russulas, amanitas, and more. One of the cooler finds was Witch’s Hat which causes visual hallucinations, diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
Great find of chanterelles, black trumpets, king boletes, slippery jacks, rosy russulas, amanitas, and more. One of the cooler finds was Witch’s Hat which causes visual hallucinations, diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
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Looks like we found a similar helleborine in an inconspicuous spot 
In Europe there are plenty of books covering eatable mushrooms. Here I was told a first rule was to forget all I knew as similarly looking ones could be poisonous.
Are there any good books here covering what you know of those, ideally for our NE area?
Amazon product ASIN 1591935911View: https://www.amazon.com/Mushrooms-Northeast-Simple-Common-Mushroom/dp/1591935911/ref=asc_df_1591935911_nodl/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312165853622&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=437299275189512906&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=21167&hvtargid=pla-587198368772&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=60258872297&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=312165853622&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=437299275189512906&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=21167&hvtargid=pla-587198368772
xtry51
NES Member
Blueberries and Blackberries are doing very well in a fairly pour soil condition. We planted last spring and the blackberries have already created half a dozen new runner/sprouts. This surprised me after only one year and we do zero fertilization or watering. We started picking fully ripened berries last week.
I'm going to plant more of these and try to line the entire driveway eventually. They are currently fenced in to protect them from deer until I feel they have spread out enough.
I'm going to plant more of these and try to line the entire driveway eventually. They are currently fenced in to protect them from deer until I feel they have spread out enough.
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Sometimes we walk the same path.Looks like we found a similar helleborine in an inconspicuous spot
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