Homesteading Skills

[paul73]

Otzi, the 5000 year old iceman was found in the alps carrying two mushrooms; the birch polypore and the horse hoof. Both are edible, extremely medicinal and can be used as tinder to start fire.
If you believe a portable medical kit that you can also eat or burn is a wasted effort on your quest to survive, so be it.
There are many, many more dangerous plants you can consume that will kill you than there are mushrooms.
Don’t confuse your familiarity with the plant world as safety. You must be absolutely sure what you’re doing regardless of the kingdom you consume.

my grandma taught me about most safe and unsafe shrooms in the european forest, and how to see safe from not safe - but i was always scared to apply this here, i was told many times that same mushrooms that looked safe and familiar to european mushrooms here are not the same at all. we have some friends who do mushroom hunts all the time, one couple actually got hit once with a minor poisoning. but as a survival skill, i would 100% agree - it is a very useful thing to know.

as of nutritional value - you do use them in the soup, you fry them, and if you know at least a basic of how to find them - they are everywhere. just need to know what is safe and what is not. which is a bit of a trick.

 

[peterk123]

Found some Bears Head Tooth today. Tastes like butter fried lobster in a cast iron pan.
View attachment 528174

You lucky duck! That one right there is hands down my favorite. I have only found it once.

 

[MGnoob]

Hey, I thought you said you treated them better …

lol

I say a lot of things.. i think where i keep f***ing up is forgetting shes 24.. shes a smart 24… bit i just have alot more life experience… Meaning I f***ed up enough things enough time….

 

[paul73]

also on a shroom topic:

Valley Fever Is Spreading Through a Hotter, Drier Western US

Researchers haven’t pinned down exactly what’s behind the rise of the deadly fungal disease. But one thing is nearly certain: Climate change plays a role.

www.wired.com

 

[namedpipes]

Otzi, the 5000 year old iceman was found in the alps carrying two mushrooms; the birch polypore and the horse hoof. Both are edible, extremely medicinal and can be used as tinder to start fire.

If you believe a portable medical kit that you can also eat or burn is a wasted effort on your quest to survive, so be it.

There are many, many more dangerous plants you can consume that will kill you than there are mushrooms.

Don’t confuse your familiarity with the plant world as safety. You must be absolutely sure what you’re doing regardless of the kingdom you consume.

Critters too. Is it Pufferfish that kill you if you slice it wrong?

 

[MisterHappy]

I’m not sure if it’s homesteading. Wife just made apple cider on an apples that I grew from a seed. I have a pretty thorough edible landscape. My place looks overgrown and like shit. But once you get stuff like that establish it just spreads like wildfire.

The apples are kind of strange. They taste just like a pear…We kept all the seeds going to start them in anticipation of my move. The tree may be too big to take with

The seeds from those apples will most likely not grow into trees that produce the same variety - apples cross-polinate. To get Macs from Macs, you need to graft.

 

[PatMcD]

The seeds from those apples will most likely not grow into trees that produce the same variety - apples cross-polinate. To get Macs from Macs, you need to graft.

This is true. They say to think of apple seeds as human babies; their DNA will make them have some things similar to their parents, but they are definitely individuals.

 

[MGnoob]

I’m curious to see what we get. There’s always different phenotypes through natural procreation. I also have a lot of orchards nearby and keep my own bees…

So they could be anything.

 

[whalerman69]

Found some Bears Head Tooth today. Tastes like butter fried lobster in a cast iron pan.
View attachment 528174

I just found this on a retaining wall in my driveway. Looks like what you are holding. How do you prepare? Pretty cool looking.

 

[mousegunguy]

I just found this on a retaining wall in my driveway. Looks like what you are holding. How do you prepare? Pretty cool looking.
View attachment 528655

If it’s pressure treat do not eat

 

[whalerman69]

If it’s pressure treat do not eat

Good point. The retaining wall is pretty old probably still holds toxins.

 

[DJBrad]

If it’s pressure treat do not eat

Correct. I wouldn’t eat anything growing next to or on a home or any structural lumber.

 

[ToddDubya]

Correct. I wouldn’t eat anything growing next to or on a home or any structural lumber.

What about rhubarb? I think it only grows behind old garages with chipping white paint.

 

[DJBrad]

What about rhubarb? I think it only grows behind old garages with chipping white paint.

Nope. Watched many a dog piss on those. That’s why have the tangy flavor sometimes.

 

[alora1972]

Fishing is a good addition i think

 

[enbloc]

 

[DJBrad]

These are the eggs stored. Meant to post these earlier.

View attachment 498984

View attachment 498985

How are they?

 

[xtry51]

Good call. I forgot. I'll try to remember to make breakfast in morn with some

 

[xtry51]

Here are pics.



For comparison here are 3 eggs laid yesterday


Observations are they smelled normal upon opening. The yolks were a little delicate. They were intact when opening, but broke when hitting the bowl, unlike the fresh eggs. When beat for scrambled eggs they feel less viscous than fresh eggs. They fluffed up nicely when cooked. They tasted great.

 

[Fritz the Cat]

The ability to dig in general is a good skill to have.
I have 6 holes to dig for deck peirs. 2' wide and 4' deep. I am teaching a digging class for anyone who needs some training in this valuable skill. Bring your own digging bar and shovel or I can rent you mine for a modest fee. Each hole dug will earn an advancement in your skill level and progresses as follows:
Hole 1 Basic laborer
Hole 2 apprentice digger
Hole 3 journeyman digger
Hole 4 expert digger
Hole 5 master class
Hole 6 PhD in digology.
Since earning my PhD looong ago, my teaching wisdom doesn't come cheap, but the lessons learned last a lifetime.

 

[MisterHappy]

The ability to dig in general is a good skill to have.
I have 6 holes to dig for deck peirs. 2' wide and 4' deep. I am teaching a digging class for anyone who needs some training in this valuable skill. Bring your own digging bar and shovel or I can rent you mine for a modest fee. Each hole dug will earn an advancement in your skill level and progresses as follows:
Hole 1 Basic laborer
Hole 2 apprentice digger
Hole 3 journeyman digger
Hole 4 expert digger
Hole 5 master class
Hole 6 PhD in digology.
Since earning my PhD looong ago, my teaching wisdom doesn't come cheap, but the lessons learned last a lifetime.

Most people here have likely seen


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2w9X_tHU7k


Good luck with your seminar

 

[EC1]

The ability to dig in general is a good skill to have.
I have 6 holes to dig for deck peirs. 2' wide and 4' deep. I am teaching a digging class for anyone who needs some training in this valuable skill. Bring your own digging bar and shovel or I can rent you mine for a modest fee. Each hole dug will earn an advancement in your skill level and progresses as follows:
Hole 1 Basic laborer
Hole 2 apprentice digger
Hole 3 journeyman digger
Hole 4 expert digger
Hole 5 master class
Hole 6 PhD in digology.
Since earning my PhD looong ago, my teaching wisdom doesn't come cheap, but the lessons learned last a lifetime.

from my PhD also many years past, I'd use my backhoe, keep the shovel and bar.

 

[Fritz the Cat]

from my PhD also many years past, I'd use my backhoe, keep the shovel and bar.

You don't learn anything taking the easy road in life. Sounds like you could benefit from one of my refresher courses.

 

[EC1]

You don't learn anything taking the easy road in life. Sounds like you could benefit from one of my refresher courses.

I've always lived by the philosophy "Work smarter, not harder".

 

[enbloc]

 

[Fritz the Cat]

I've always lived by the philosophy "Work smarter, not harder".

College boys. Always think they're so clever.
Around here we "work harder, not smarter"

 

[EC1]

College boys. Always think they're so clever.
Around here we "work harder, not smarter"

sort of like bank deposits with negative interest rates

 

[Fritz the Cat]

sort of like bank deposits with negative interest rates

In some ways it's not at all funny. I recall my grandparents living partly off of the interest on CDs. It was part of their retirement strategy.
A very necessary homesteading skill is being financially stable. When you can't rely on the traditional investment models, what does one do?

 

[EC1]

In some ways it's not at all funny. I recall my grandparents living partly off of the interest on CDs. It was part of their retirement strategy.
A very necessary homesteading skill is being financially stable. When you can't rely on the traditional investment models, what does one do?

if the "transitory" inflation isn't so transitory there will be a lot of people asking the same question, unless of course you retire with a cushy govt pension indexed to inflation. otherwise you'll have to rely on solid investiments and a bit of good luck.

 

[northny]

I have a “neighbor” in the north country. He has two acres and a double wide. When he has the kids on weekends they are repairing 4 wheelers or go carts or mowers. His place is a bit of an eye sore with waiting projects. But he is 500 feet from any real neighbor as his property is next to abandoned orchard or hay fields. ( The apple orchards next to him are part of our hunting property.) I saw him out last week as I was going by on UTV and had my first conversation with him Went like this

Me: I think I figured out what your doing and I think it’s cool.

Him: (with a raised eyebrow) and what would that be?

Me: well for two years you raised chickens, two years pigs, now you are on second year of dairy cows. Your building homesteading skills and teaching them to your kids. What’s next, goats? ( not a WAG on my part, looking at the Amish farms here it was that or rabbits)

Him: (with a nod and a smile). Rabbits first, then maybe goats. The chicken coop can convert to a rabbit hutch.

At that point I concluded with the normal pleasantries and went off for an afternoon hunt.

Not a bad guy to have as a neighbor.