Here is a picture of a local plant ( Marticaria marticariodies
) similar to chamomile. We call it Pineapple Weed. It grows in rocky
paths, hardpacked soils. This plant is growing in my driveway.
The flower heads can be used to make a tea with a good flavor. You
can also use them for flavoring in bread dough, etc.
An alternative to the conventional survival kit is to keep essential
items on your person on a daily basis. The picutue above shows some
items that can be easily carried on a keychain. Included are a photonlight
LED flashlight, a fox 40 whistle, and a ferrocerrium rod that has been
cemented to a key for easy carry. A larger ferrocerium rod stands
alone on the right. The flashlight is smaller than a quarter and
will give light for several days on a single lithium cell. The whistle
has been modified on a bench grinder to remove excess plastic. The
ferrocerium rods are used for starting fires. They will give off
hot sparks when scraped with a knife or other sharp object.
During a business trip to Ohio in 2000 I was fortunate enough to be able to explore the ancient Indian quarries on Flint Ridge, and to meet a flintknapper who showed me some basic techniques and set me up with some supplies.
These projectile points are my first attempt at flintknapping. (6/2/2000) They are made from a piece of clear window glass and a piece of blue frosted window glass. Glass is more uniform and easier to pressure flake than most rocks. You do need to abrade the smooth edges (a carborundum stone works) in order to get purchace with your flaking tool.
The glass edge does not seem to be quite as durable as obsidian.
This knife is my second effort. (6/11/2000) The point is make from a flake of flint from Flint Ridge, OH. The indians used to quarry flint at Flint Ridge and trade it all over the midwest. I pressure flaked the rough blade. the handle is Whitetail Deer antler. After I notched the antler I finished flaking the point to fit. The point is secured in place with string and an epoxy/sawdust mixture.
I got my Flint Ridge flint and various flintknapping tools from Gary
C. Hardy. You can reach him at 740-787-1578 should you be interested
in getting supplies from him.
I picked up several pounds of commercial jerky scraps for $4/lb. I also bought some dried fruit bits and pieces at Safeway. The tropical fruit mix was on sale so I used that, although dried cherries are excellent, as are raisins or other dried fruit. The fruit mix was advertised as low fat, but I can fix that. The butcher provided several lbs of beef trimmings for free.
Put the beef fat in a large cast iron pan and render it out on the stove. Grind the jerky in a large mortar. Mix jerky and fruit in a proportion pleasing to you. I think 2/1 works well. Then pour the (not hot but still liquid) beef fat over the jerky/fruit mixture until it is well absorbed and coats the other ingredients.
I put the mixture in ziplock bags and store it in the freezer until
needed. I am told that this stuff will store for long periods unrefrigerated.
It provides a dense energy source for hikes, etc.
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I've also tried mixing vegetable protein powder, dried fruit, and olive
oil. This makes a paste similar to peanut butter. It also provides oil,
carbs, and protein. I've been eating this stuff in the office for the last
few months on rye crackers.
Camping and Woodcraft by Horace Kephart - 1917
Woodcraft and Camping by Nessmuk - 1920
D.C. Waldorf's "The Art of Flint Knapping." There is a book and
a video to go with it.
The classic reference on knots is The Ashley Book of Knots, by Clifford
Ashley. It has some material (as much as you or I will probably need) on
nets, and a whole lot on knots. This book and a length of line will
keep you busy for years.
One of our neighbors had a possum infestation. I live trapped them and dispatched one for cooking. I tried to honor the spirit of the creature by preparing him as best I could. I removed the fatty glands in the leg and in the interior of the body cavity. After that a 48-hour soak in a vinegar and salt-water solution.
Here is what he looked like after the soak.
Then into the freezer, which is supposed to improve the flavor.
I prepared him by baking in a Dutch oven, with a cup of water and a splash of Worcestershire sauce. The sauce boiled away and he stuck to the bottom, but didn’t burn.
The flavor was good. I thought the legs had a taste reminiscent of tuna
fish. The body sections had a more meaty taste. My son Gerard described
the body flavor as a cross between salmon and chicken. I did not discern
a fish flavor in the body section.
Tincture of iodine has multiple uses. It can certainly be used to treat cuts and abrasions, as that is what it is marketed for.
It can also be used to purify water.
Tincture of iodine has also been shown to be a pretty effective thyroid
blocking agent when applied topically. Not as good as oral administration
of KI, but pretty good nonetheless. [look at Miller et al, Effectiveness
of skin absorption of tincture of I in blocking radioiodine from the human
thyroid gland, Health Physics Vol 56, June 1989] Miller shows 81.7% blockage
for 8 ml of tincture painted on the abdomen, compared to 96.9% for orally
administered KI. That's not a bad effectiveness for those of you who do
not have KI readily available.
From James Beard's American Cookery.
In former times small birds such as robins, thrush, snipe, and woodcock were roasted and greatly savored... And it used to be the custom - it still is to some extent in England - to roast a small bird with the "trail" or intestines left in the bird and with toast placed under the bird to catch the drippings from the trail. This early recipe of "A Rule for Woodcock or Snipe" describes the practice.
"Be very careful in plucking these to pull out the feathers as carefully
and handle them as lightly as possible; for the skin is very easily torn
or broken. Do not draw them, for epicures have decided that the trail
(as they call intestines) is the most delicious part of the bird, and by
all means should be saved for eating. Having wiped the outside carefully
with a soft cloth, truss them with the head under the wing and the bill
laid alongside the breast. Keep the legs bent from the knees, retaining
that posture by means of a splinter skewer. Suspend the birds to
a bird-spit, with their feet downward. Melt some fresh butter in
the dripping pan and baste them with it, having first dredged the birds
with flour. Before the trail begins to drop (which it will as soon
as they are well heated) lay a thick round of very nice toast (with the
crust pared off) buttered on both sides and placed in the dripping pan
beneath, so as to catch the trail as it falls; allowing a slice of toast
to each bird with the trail equally spread over it. Continue the
basting, letting the butter fall back into the basting spoon. When
the birds are done – which will be in less than half an hour at a brisk
fire, - carefully transfer the toasts to a very hot dish; place the birds
upon them and pour some gravy around the toasts.”
How to kill a coyote
Verbally related by George Michaud
A trapper explained to me how he killed trapped coyotes.
He would approach the trapped coyote with a short stick and give it a snapping
blow with the stick to the base of the snout. This would stun the coyote, and
then he would place his foot on the coyote's neck, lift up its front leg, and
collapse its rib cage with a stomp.
He told me that the stunning blow to the base of the snout
also worked on a domestic dog that attacked him. I can't guarantee how this
generalizes to all domestic dogs. Some of them don't even have snouts. It's
something I keep in mind when dealing with dogs though.